


Best Laid Plans

by atetheredmind (s_e_irvine)



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-06-28
Packaged: 2017-12-07 22:46:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 53,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/753942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_e_irvine/pseuds/atetheredmind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they discover their parents used to date, best friends Katniss and Peeta devise a plan to get them back together. Unfortunately, things don't always go according to plan...or sometimes, even worse, they do. Modern AU. Everlark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

>   
> _"The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,_  
>  Gang aft agley."  
> —Robert Burns

The closet was dark and musty, the dust tickling her nostrils. Katniss had to squeeze her nose shut to stifle a sneeze, lest she alert anybody to her presence. God, when was the last time anybody had cleaned up in here? She knew Mr. Mellark was a single dad who had three kids to raise and a bakery to run, but how much time did a quick dusting require, really?

She huffed quietly, trying to clear her nose of any pesky air particles, but she froze when she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. Holding her breath, she tried to follow the path of the steps; they were getting closer, moving down the hallway.

"Where did you say it was?" Peeta's voice boomed from the hallway, and Katniss heard his father's muffled response, though it was too quiet to decipher. When a large body blocked the light filtering through the small crack in the door, she knew he'd been directed to the right place. Her entire body tensed as she readied herself for the attack.

The closet door swung open then, and she launched herself through the opening immediately. Her palm connected with his chest. "Tag! You're it!" she crowed triumphantly.

Peeta yelped in shock, stumbling backward. The look of terror on his face sent her into a fit of hysterics, and she doubled over from the force of her laughter. When she looked back up at him, even through her tears, she could make out the scowl on his face.

"Fuck, Katniss!" he cried; his father's admonishment was immediate, and this time Katniss could hear it.

"Watch your language!" he yelled up the stairs, though amusement laced his voice.

Katniss laughed harder, and Peeta glowered at her. "He was in on it, wasn't he?" he asked drily, and she nodded, swiping at her tears. "I should have known; why the hell would he need granddad's old cane?"

She shrugged, resting her hands on her hips. "Your dad loves me. You know he'd do anything for me."

He rolled his eyes. "You play dirty, you know that, right?"

She scoffed. "Right, and who was the one who hid in the trunk of my car last time just to tag me?" she reminded him, and he smirked as he recalled. She and Peeta had been playing a neverending game of tag that had started when they were in elementary school. They'd been friends since they were 5, after she'd shoved another kid for making fun of Peeta for the note his father had left in his lunch box. One day in third grade, recess had ended before she'd had the chance to tag anybody. And she hated losing. Greatly. So the next time she'd seen Peeta, on their walk home after school, she had slapped him on the back and taken off running. Eight years later, and they were still playing the game. It was just the two of them, which made the game a little tricky, but they had long ago established one ground rule to follow: no tag-backs for at least a day. Other than that, anything was fair game. The two of them went to great lengths just to tag each other—sometimes, they languished for days or weeks at a time with no attempt on either side. She'd even fallen asleep in the bushes outside his house one night when she was hiding, not realizing he'd gone to a friend's house after wrestling practice; she'd woken the next morning when he'd nudged her awake with his shoe.

She'd tagged him, anyway.

"Well, that'll teach you to give me an extra key to your car, won't it?" Peeta teased.

"Yeah, you can give that back to me anytime now," she huffed, but when she realized he was advancing toward her, her eyes widened. "What are you—you know you can't tag me back!" she warned, stepping back into the closet.

"I know," he agreed, then he grinned wickedly. "But there's nothing that says I can't tickle you." He lunged at her then, his hands finding purchase on her sides. She squealed, his hold on her keeping her from falling backward, but she squirmed wildly against him as his fingers poked and prodded her stomach.

"No, stop!" she gasped, shrieking with laughter when he moved his hands up to her armpits. "Peeta, please, you know I hate being tickled!"

"I know," he laughed, and he grunted when she wriggled against him, her hands trying to push his arms away. "Why do you think I do it?"

She screamed something incoherent, tears of mirth streaming down her cheeks. She tried to tickle him back, but he was mostly impervious to her attacks. Finally, she kicked her legs out in a last-ditch attempt to stop him. Her boot connected with a box, knocking it over and spilling its contents out. Peeta stopped suddenly, though his hands still held her firmly around her waist.

"Well, shit. Look what you did," he mused. She was panting heavily, and she shot him a nasty glare, shoving him backward.

"It was your fault," she snapped, and they both knelt down to pick up the stuff she had knocked over.

"Everything okay up there?" Mr. Mellark called up the stairs.

"We're fine, dad," Peeta yelled back. "Katniss is just making a mess, like always."

She scowled at him, and he just grinned. "Am not!" she yelled. She scooped up the papers and photographs scattered across the floor. The photos looked old, yellowed by age. Curiously, she dumped some papers in the box and grabbed a handful of pictures to look through while Peeta continued cleaning up the rest. "Have you seen these?" she asked him, and he hummed in response.

"I don't know—probably. What are they?" he asked absently. Katniss flipped through the photos; they looked like they were pictures of Mr. Mellark and his friends in high school. She snorted in amusement as she took in the mullets, the mustaches, the large-framed glasses, and—she made a face—the really short shorts. That was more of Peeta's dad than she had ever wanted to see.

"Looks like photos of your dad when he was a teenager," she answered, tilting her head to squint at a photograph of Mr. Mellark posing with an old Cadillac.

"I'm sure I've seen some of them," Peeta replied dismissively. She shrugged and moved to the next photo; her gasp startled Peeta, and he sat up straight. "What?"

"Oh, my god—I think this is my mom!" she exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the photo. It was a prom picture: Mr. Mellark in a blue velvet suit, hand-in-hand under an arch with a young blonde woman in a pink floor-length gown and a corsage on her wrist. Her hair was feathered, her bangs large and wispy, but Katniss was certain it was her mother. She bore a strong resemblance to her sister Prim in this photo.

"No way, let me see," he said, snatching the photo from her hand. He narrowed his eyes at the photograph, bringing it close to his face. Then his eyebrows shot up, and he looked back at her. "Dude, that's totally your mom! Wow, she was hot." She frowned at him, but he ignored her glare. "So our parents went to prom together?"

She was already shaking her head. "No way. This has to be Photoshopped."

He shot her a funny look. "They didn't have Photoshop in the '80s, Katniss."

She scowled at him. "I didn't mean it was Photoshopped  _then_ —never mind," she grumbled, looking back at the photos in her hand. She flipped through the rest to see if there were more; sure enough, she came across photos of them lying next to each other on a beach, one of her mother in between Mr. Mellark's legs while he held her from behind. "Peeta...there's more," she said, handing them to him. He stared at the photos, baffled.

"Wait, so...my dad...and your mom...dated in high school," he said slowly, and when his gaze met hers, she made a face.

"I can't believe they never told us!"

Shaking his head, Peeta dumped the photographs back into the box. "Bizarre. I wonder if my mom knows."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Whatever, not like she'd care," she griped. His mother was a bitch. His parents had divorced when he was in middle school, and his mother had split immediately, leaving behind three sons for Mr. Mellark to raise alone. She was in touch infrequently, around the holidays and birthdays, if she remembered, but Peeta hadn't seen her for a couple years now. He acted mostly unbothered by his mother's abandonment, but she knew it hurt him deep down. Just like her father's death still affected her, five years later. "I wonder if my dad knew..."

Peeta raised an eyebrow. "Well, these photos are from high school. Didn't your parents meet not long after they graduated?"

"Yeah..." She pursed her mouth as she contemplated the situation. "Weird. I wonder why they didn't tell us..." Then her eyes widened. "Dude, what if your dad and my mom had gotten married? We could have been brother and sister."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I don't think genetics work like that, Katniss. If they had, neither of us would exist, period."

She scowled, shoving on his arm. He fell back on the floor, and she crawled out of the closet. "I know that, asshole. That's not what I meant." Well, it was kind of what she meant, but now he'd made her feel stupid. A thought struck her then, and she gasped, flopping down on her ass to look at him. "Oh, my god—what if they got married now? We could be siblings!"

He looked confused. "What are you talking about, exactly?"

She jumped to her feet, helping him up with her. "Well, my mom's been pretty lonely since my dad died, and your dad hasn't dated anybody since your mom left. What if they reconnected now? What if we helped them reignite the flame? I mean, we're practically brother and sister already; we could just make it official."

Peeta narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, dropping her hand. "What are you planning?"

She grinned slowly, her cheeks already aching from the effort. "Peeta, I think it's time for Operation: Reunite the High School Sweethearts."


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a tool for not mentioning in the prologue that this story would not be possible without corn-nuts and her twist on the "Parent Trap" plot I was jokingly throwing around on tumblr one day. All credit to her for this premise (and the anon who originally suggested it).

"Hurry up, Prim! We're gonna be late!" Katniss yelled as she bounded down the stairs. She heard a screech in response, muffled by the bathroom door, and rolled her eyes. She didn't understand who a 12-year-old could possibly need to impress in middle school by spending an hour in the bathroom each morning. At 16, Katniss didn't even need that much time to get ready. It was a good thing she only required 10 minutes to pee, shower and braid her hair; otherwise, she might never get a chance in the bathroom, with how much Prim hogged it.

Skidding into the kitchen, she pulled up short when she saw her mother at the sink. "Oh, didn't know you were home already," she greeted, hopping up on a barstool and grabbing a banana from the fruit basket.

Her mother turned to her with a tired smile. "Yes, just walked in. I'm about to go to sleep, though," she said, stifling a yawn. Their mother worked at the hospital as a nurse; her hours were insane, and she often worked overnight shifts, leaving Katniss in charge of making sure both she and Prim were fed and got to school on time.

Sometimes having to shoulder the burden of responsibility made her resentful, but she tried to be understanding; since her father passed away, they all had to pull their own weight, and her mother had to work as much as possible to make sure she kept a roof over their heads. Besides, Katniss already had her petulant, rebellious teenager phase a couple of years ago, where she acted out over her father's death and her mother's virtual abandonment. It was out of her system now.

As she peeled her banana and chomped off a large bite, Katniss eyed her mother critically. No doubt she looked exhausted; her long blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she looked rather frumpy in her floral scrubs and Crocs, but Katniss knew her mother cleaned up pretty nicely. She was quite a looker when she made an effort.

She only really saw her mother in passing during the week, so she knew now was as good a time as any to start planting the seeds of her and Peeta's plan.

"Oh, so I was at Peeta's the other day, and we found some old photos of his dad in high school," she started casually, taking another bite of her banana.

"Mmhmm," her mother hummed absently as she grabbed her bottle of vitamins off the fridge.

"They were pretty funny," Katniss mumbled loudly, her mouth still full of banana. She paused to swallow it. "Especially the ones with you." Her mother popped a vitamin in her mouth, turning her wide eyes on her. Katniss smiled smugly. "I had no idea you two used to date."

Her mother took a swig of water to take with the pill. After she'd swallowed, she laughed softly. "Oh, gosh, that was ages ago. Sometimes I forget."

Katniss narrowed her eyes at her mother suspiciously, trying to gauge her reaction. But before she could ask any more, Prim came tearing through the kitchen. "Mom!" she cried, grabbing her around the waist. Their mother leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"Morning, Prim."

Katniss took in the sight of her little sister, and her mouth gaped open. "Prim! You can't go to school looking like that! You're 12!" she yelled. Prim's honey-blonde hair was perfectly spiraled into tight little curls, but her face looked like it had been shellacked with makeup: She had swiped on green eyeshadow, heavy mascara, pink blush and red lipstick. It was ridiculous.

Prim pulled away from their mother to scowl at Katniss, planting her hands on her hips. "Says who?!"

"You look like a clown!" Katniss huffed, then she glanced at their mother, waving wildly at Prim. "Mom, tell her she can't go to school like that."

Their mother squinted at Prim, sizing her up. Then she tore off a square of paper towel and wet it under the sink faucet. "Take off the lipstick, Prim. It's too much," she instructed authoritatively, her tone leaving no room for argument. Prim deflated pretty quickly as she snatched the damp paper towel from her mother, shooting Katniss a nasty glare. She scrubbed off the lipstick then handed it back to their mother with a huff.

"Hold up," their mother said, taking a dry side of the towel to wipe off some of Prim's blush, too. "Moderation is key, Prim. You're a naturally beautiful girl. You don't need all this."

Prim pouted sourly but said nothing more as she grabbed her bagged lunch off the counter, which Katniss had packed earlier that morning, as she did most mornings. Smiling victoriously to herself, Katniss scarfed down the rest of her banana and tossed the peel into the trashcan. Her mother handed Katniss her bagged lunch. "You two should get going. Have a good day," she advised, pressing a kiss to Katniss' temple. Katniss rolled her eyes and stuffed her lunch into her backpack as Ms. Everdeen headed upstairs. Prim had interrupted her conversation with her mother, effectively stalling Operation: Reunite the High School Sweethearts before she could even really get it off the ground.

She would have to regroup and consult with Peeta during their lunch period.

"Ugh, peanut butter and jelly again?" Prim whined, digging through her lunch bag. Katniss scowled and shoved her little sister toward the front door. Scheming would come later; right now, she had to drop Prim off at middle school and then book it to make sure she got to her first class on time.

"Stop complaining. You're lucky I make you anything, period."

* * *

Peeta plopped down beside Katniss at lunch, dropping his lunch bag on the table. He nodded in greeting to the others. "Hey."

Finnick, Annie and Madge smiled warmly while Johanna only grunted, shoveling some chili fries into her mouth. Katniss skipped the pleasantries. "You're late," she said, taking a bite of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Peeta shrugged.

"Had to stay behind and talk to Mr. Boggs about an assignment," he replied, pulling out his own sandwich. He unwrapped it from the wax paper, and Katniss practically drooled at the sight of the perfectly crafted artisan sandwich. Having been raised by a baker, Peeta was a whiz with food. His sandwich made hers look pathetic in comparison, and she suddenly felt exactly how Prim felt that morning. Peeta caught her staring and grinned. "I keep telling you—if you want me to make you lunch, just tell me."

She frowned and sipped her soda. "I'm fine," she grumbled stubbornly; she knew Peeta would, in a heartbeat, if she asked. But she hated asking for help.

"Hey, Peet, have you started that essay for Coin's class yet?" Finnick asked, propping his chin on Annie's shoulder. She was sitting on his lap as they ate lunch. They were such a cute couple, it made Katniss want to puke. She had no idea how they managed to fit comfortably on such a small seat.

"Yep, already finished it," he said, biting into his sandwich. Finnick scowled.

"Finished? Jesus, you're such an overachiever. It's not even due till Wednesday," Finnick bemoaned, letting Annie feed him a fry.

Peeta smiled, his cheeks full of sandwich. "I had some extra time last weekend, so I figured why not?"

Peeta  _was_  an overachiever; he was in all the AP and advanced classes they offered for juniors. Katniss was only an average student at best. The only AP class she was in was Biology; that was the only class she shared with him. He was smart, but he also just worked harder than anybody she knew.

She knew why, though. After his mother had left, he'd started applying himself more, thinking that if he just did a little better in school, he could make her proud of him and maybe then she'd come back. Even after he realized it didn't matter to her, he kept at it.

"I haven't even picked what book I'm going to write about yet," Madge complained, swirling her carrot into some ranch dressing. As the rest of them ranted about their English assignment, Katniss sighed and locked eyes with Johanna across the table. She was glad Johanna was an underachiever like her; both of them were just in the regular English class with Ms. Paylor. Katniss didn't care for reading and writing; science was where her interests lay. With a smirk, Johanna rolled her eyes, expressing her agreement with Katniss' annoyance.

"Maybe us stupid kids should move to another table," she offered harmlessly, but Katniss scoffed.

"Speak for yourself, Jo," she shot back. She wasn't stupid; she'd just been too busy helping raise Prim the past five years to study as much as everybody else.

The thought reminded her of her conversation with her mother this morning. She poked Peeta's side until she got his attention.

"Ow, Katniss, quit it," he whined, swatting her hand away, but she grabbed his arm.

"Peeta, I talked to my mom about your dad this morning." That got his attention. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her.

"Really? What did she say?"

"Well, I didn't have time to really work my magic, but I mentioned finding the pictures of them together," Katniss explained. "She just laughed it off, but she did admit that they used to date, at least."

Peeta pursed his lips. "Interesting. My dad's been too busy with orders at the bakery for me to ask, but I was planning on dropping some hints at dinner tonight."

Their conversation had piqued the others' interests. "What are you guys talking about?" Annie asked.

Peeta glanced at Katniss. "You didn't tell them yet?" She shook her head.

"No, I was waiting for you." She turned back to the others and leaned closer, as if she were divulging a secret. "His dad used to date my mom in high school. We found pictures of them together."

Everyone's faces reflected their shock. "Seriously?" Finnick pressed incredulously. "And they never told you?" Both she and Peeta shook their heads.

"No, we never knew. I guess they just didn't want things to be weird or something," Peeta mused, taking a distracted bite of his sandwich.

"But how perfect is that?" Katniss interjected. "We've concocted a plan to get them back together." Their friends fell silent; she was confused by their perplexed expressions. "What?" she demanded defensively.

"Really? You want to hook your parents up?" Johanna spoke first, one eyebrow arched skeptically.

"Yeah, why not?" Peeta threw out, lifting his shoulder indifferently. "They're both single. And overworked. They could use some fun in their lives."

Katniss nodded. "And if it works out and they get married, Peeta and I could be brother and sister. We practically are, anyway." He tugged on her braid playfully, but she pushed his hand away.

Snorting, Johanna just shook her head and popped another couple of fries into her mouth. Madge dropped her gaze to the table, eating silently, and Finnick buried his face against Annie's shoulder; he looked like he was shaking with laughter. What was wrong with them? Annie was the only one who smiled at her and Peeta. "Well, I think that's pretty cute. It's like something out of a movie," she said encouragingly.

Shaking off her confusion, Katniss shrugged. "Yeah, well, I think it'd be neat. Old people need love, too." She took a sip of her soda.

Peeta laughed. "Old? They're not old. They're barely middle-age," he corrected arrogantly, and she shot daggers at him with her eyes.

"They went to school in the age of mullets. That's old," she argued, and he stifled his chuckle with another bite of his sandwich.

"Hey, Peeta."

All six heads swiveled in the direction of the new voice. A short blonde stood on Peeta's left. She smiled sweetly at him, but her eyes darted around the table nervously before settling back on him. Katniss arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, hey, Delly," he said pleasantly. Delly licked her lips and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to say I saw your match on Friday. You were really awesome," she gushed. Katniss saw Peeta's ears redden slightly, and she shared a look with the others at the table. Everyone was trying their best not to laugh out loud. This wasn't uncommon; Peeta was fairly popular. He was attractive, smart, athletic and nice—basically, every high school girl's fantasy. Katniss was just grateful he wasn't a jackass like the other popular junior boys. Finnick was equally good-looking (probably even more so, objectively speaking), and he was on the swim team. But he had a girlfriend, so girls knew to steer clear.

Peeta was fair game, though.

"Ah, thanks, Delly. I'm, uh, glad you could make it out. The wrestling team really appreciates the support," he replied cordially, a winning smile in place.

She blushed, but her grin widened. "Of course! I always try to support our student athletes." Katniss had to fight an audible snort. Somehow, she doubted this girl had ever even been to a football game.

Not that Katniss had ever been to one, either.

Delly continued, "Anyway, well, I just wanted to say, um, if you ever, like, want to sit with me and my friends, you're more than welcome to." Her face was just red as Peeta's. Katniss had to shove the rest of her sandwich into her mouth to keep from laughing. The others were struggling just as much.

"Oh, uh, thank you for the offer," Peeta stammered, glancing around the table before looking back at her. "I'll, um, I'll keep it in mind. Thanks."

Delly offered a hurried farewell before darting away, barely out of earshot before Johanna and Finnick howled in laughter. Peeta leveled them with a stern glare. "Shut up. She's really nice. We share a couple of classes together. Don't make her feel bad."

Katniss finally snickered. "You're such a stud. Why didn't you just invite her to sit with you?"

Finnick barked in amusement. "That's rich, Everdeen. Like you would have allowed that."

She frowned at him. "What does that mean?"

"Uh, Katniss, you pretty much scare off anyone else who tries to sit with us," Madge teased, smiling. Katniss squawked in disbelief, but Peeta jumped in.

"It's true; remember Glimmer?" he reminded her. The blonde popular girl had only sat with them for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the school year before she'd disappeared. Katniss frowned.

"That wasn't my fault. You dumped her," she accused, but he grinned.

"Yeah, after she kept whining that you hated her."

Her jaw dropped. "I didn't hate her." Okay, maybe Glimmer wasn't her favorite. She was nice enough, she guessed, but she acted like a stereotypical popular girl, playing up her vapidness and shallowness so others, especially guys, would like her more. Katniss didn't dislike her, per se, but five was about her limit on the number of people she could engage with at a time socially. It was exhausting otherwise, and it wasn't like she knew Glimmer well, so she just didn't really try to talk to her at lunch.

It wasn't her fault Glimmer interpreted that as open hostility. Katniss just wasn't a people person.

"You know you're pretty intimidating, Kat," Johanna piped up, smirking. Katniss scowled at her.

"And you're not?"

Johanna shrugged. "Oh, I am. But at least I own it." The others laughed, and Katniss glared at her crumpled paper lunch bag.

"Whatever," she muttered. Chuckling, Peeta slugged an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him to rub her head with his knuckles. She pushed him away and glowered at him, trying to smooth her hair back down to her scalp. "Jerk," she hissed, snatching his sandwich away from him to take a bite for herself. When she put it back into his hands, he just shook his head. "So, what's the next plan of attack?"

"Hm?"

"With our parents. What's the next step?" she prodded, and he seemed to be contemplating it.

"Maybe we should set up a dinner with both our families. We haven't had one since..." he trailed off, shifting uncomfortably. She knew what he was going to say: since her father passed away. She could talk about it openly, but Peeta always felt weird when he brought it up.

"I think that's a good idea," she agreed readily, and he smiled.

"Do you know when your mother has a day off? Or at least a night off?"

Katniss tried to recall, tapping her chin. "Saturday, I think. That works pretty well. Think your dad would be down to do it at your house?"

Peeta nodded. "Yeah, he always cooks too much anyway for just the two of us. He hasn't figured out how to adjust our meals since Rye and Barm went off to college."

She smiled. "Perfect. I'll ask my mom the next time I see her." She pulled her apple out of her bag and crunched into it. "Oh," she wiped at the juices on her lips, "tell your dad to make that lemon pepper sea bass. My mom will love that."

* * *

Prim was not happy about having to spend Saturday night at the Mellarks. But teetering on the edge of adolescence as she was, she was rarely happy about anything these days, which made her extra annoying to Katniss, so she tried to tune her little sister's whining out as their mother drove them to Peeta's house for dinner. Ms. Everdeen had reluctantly agreed to the family dinner two nights before, hesitant to spend a night out when she could be catching up on sleep. Katniss had barely persuaded her with a sob story about how downtrodden Mr. Mellark was these days with all but one of his sons gone and too much food to spare.

"Okay, but we're not staying there past 8," her mother had said sternly. Katniss had barely managed not to fist pump in triumph.

Pulling out her phone, she shot Peeta a quick text.  _Hey we'll be there shortly. We brought a salad._

His reply was immediate.  _Cool, we've got plenty of food too._

When they arrived at Peeta's house 10 minutes later, Prim's nose was buried in her Kindle Fire. Their mother wouldn't allow her to have a cell phone yet, at least not until she was in high school, but she knew she needed to give her youngest daughter something to keep her occupied, especially at events like tonight's where there were no other kids her age. Katniss thought she should have to suck it up and deal, but as long as she stayed relatively quiet tonight, she guessed it was a good thing; she and Peeta wanted as little distractions as possible for their parents so they could do some catching up.

Katniss bounded up the steps to their front door first, knocking loudly. A moment later, the door swung open. Peeta grinned at her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Hey," he said into the crown of her head, releasing her to greet her mother, who'd reached the steps next. "Hi, Ms. Everdeen, it's good to see you," he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Hi, Peeta. I swear you look more grown every time I see you," she replied warmly, passing the container of salad to him. "Thank you for inviting us. I made a salad with goat cheese, strawberries and pecans. I hope that's okay."

His face lit up. "Absolutely, thanks! Come on in," he said, waving them in. Katniss lingered in the foyer for Peeta, as her mother hesitantly ventured farther into the house. Prim brought up the rear, dragging her feet, face still buried in the Kindle; Katniss wasn't sure how she managed not to trip. Peeta mussed her hair as she passed. "Hey, squirt."

She pouted at him and smoothed her hair back down. "Hi, Peeta," she said sullenly. That she didn't snap at him for messing up her hair was a testament to how little anyone actually disliked Peeta; Katniss still remembered when 8-year-old Prim had a school-girl crush on him and used to follow them around everywhere—to the woods, to the mall, down the street to the playground, wherever their mother forced Katniss to allow her to tag along.

Prim trudged inside, and Katniss waited until she and their mother were out of earshot before she turned to Peeta, her eyebrows arching toward her hairline in excitement. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I think my dad's kind of nervous."

She laughed quietly. "Really? I can't tell if my mom's uncomfortable because of the dinner or because she'd rather be at home sleeping."

Shutting the door with his foot, he shrugged and shifted the container in his hands. "Guess we'll find out. Come on, let's go play matchmakers," he said with an impish grin, and she followed him into the kitchen where their parents were already talking. Katniss thought she could detect a cloud of tension shrouding the air between the two.

She took it as a good sign.

"Thank you for coming, Florence," Mr. Mellark said, smiling warmly at her. Ms. Everdeen returned the smile.

"Well, thank you for inviting us, Faren. I'm sure the girls will appreciate a good home-cooked meal for once," she said lightly, shooting Katniss a look. Katniss couldn't argue there. "I brought salad." Peeta squeezed past Katniss to hand the container to his father.

"That's wonderful, thank you," Mr. Mellark responded, setting the container on the counter to peel back the lid. "Everything's ready, we just have to put the food out. Please, make yourselves at home." He glanced at Katniss then and smirked. "Not you, Katniss. You're here enough already. Why don't you help Peeta set the table?"

Katniss nodded. "Yes, sir," she chirped, taking the handful of silverware Peeta handed her. He grabbed the plates and led her into the dining room, which was adjacent to the living room. Prim was slumped on the couch with her Kindle, oblivious to the scene taking place around her. Peeta began placing the plates out around the table, Katniss following him to arrange the silverware at each seat. Her eyes flickered up to her sister again, and she frowned. "Prim, why don't you make yourself useful?"

Prim snorted, not even bothering to lift her gaze. "Why should I do that?"

Her nostrils flared, but Peeta's knowing look and brief grin stopped her from snapping. "Hey, Prim," he piped up, finally drawing her attention toward them. "Can you do me a favor and grab the napkins from the kitchen?"

She pouted but begrudgingly stood up and set her Kindle aside to cross toward the kitchen. Katniss was exasperated. "How do you do that?" she asked petulantly. She hadn't gotten Prim to do anything she asked without a verbal war since her sister turned 10.

Lifting his shoulder dismissively, Peeta just grinned again. "I'm a master manipulator, baby," he crowed, taking the remaining set of utensils from her to place around the last plate.

"Ew, why do I get the feeling you've used that line on a girl before?" Katniss accused, wrinkling her nose in disgust. His eyes twinkled.

"Probably because I have."

She smacked his arm, and he pushed her back toward the kitchen. Prim was returning with the folded napkins, and she looked at Peeta expectantly. "Ah, thanks, Prim. Would you mind setting them at each seat? We're gonna grab the rest of the stuff," Peeta needled sweetly, and Prim huffed faintly, but her face only showed mild annoyance.

"Fine."

Back in the kitchen, Mr. Mellark had transferred the salad to a serving dish. He handed it to Katniss. "Peeta, get the drinks," he instructed, grabbing a couple of the other dishes. Ms. Everdeen stepped closer to take one from him.

"Here, let me help."

Mr. Mellark smiled at her and grabbed a basket of rolls. "Thank you, Florence." He directed her to the dining room, and when they were alone, Peeta and Katniss shared a knowing look.

"I think this is going to go well," Peeta mused. Katniss just smiled.

* * *

Katniss tried not to smirk as she glanced at the clock. It was 8:46 p.m. Forty-six minutes past when her mother had said she wanted to be gone by. And she didn't look like she planned to leave anytime soon, judging by how enthralled she seemed by her conversation with Mr. Mellark. The majority of the dinner had been spent talking about the bakery and the hospital, about their kids and how they were doing in school; Peeta and Katniss chimed in on those topics, but when the conversation gradually drifted to reminiscing about their old high school days, the two teenagers were left silent, shooting each other sneaky grins they tried to smother with their hands.

Katniss eventually figured that perhaps they should leave the two adults to talk in peace, if they had any hopes of shifting the dynamics between them in a more romantic direction. She kicked Peeta's leg under the table, and he grunted, scrunching his nose up at her. "You wanna go sit outside?" she suggested, raising her eyebrows in a manner she hoped he understood.

Comprehension flickered in his eyes, and he nodded, pushing away from the table. "We'll be on the porch," he informed their parents.

"All right, son," Mr. Mellark said with an easy smile before turning back to Ms. Everdeen. Prim had abandoned the dining table an hour ago, curled up on the couch and still glued to her Kindle. Katniss and Peeta meandered through the living room toward the back porch. He slid the glass doors open and stepped outside, Katniss closing it behind them.

"This is going even better than I could have hoped," she said. Peeta hopped up on the wooden railing and smiled at her. She hopped up beside him, and he steadied her with a hand on her back so she didn't fall backward.

"Seriously. You might be stuck here for a while," he replied as they watched their parents through the glass doors.

Katniss shrugged indifferently. "I'd be here, anyway."

"If this works out, maybe we should start a matchmaking business," Peeta joked, flexing his fingers around the wooden railing. She laughed.

"Setting up lovelorn divorcees and widows?" she added, and he chuckled.

"And then we could parlay it into a reality TV show. It'd be perfect. We'll be rich."

Katniss shook her head in amusement. "Let's see how this match turns out before we drop out of school just yet." She glanced around at his yard and then up at the night sky. It was that time of the year when it was fall but still felt like summer. The air wasn't chilly yet; it felt nice against her skin. She turned her gaze back to their parents; their bodies were completely turned toward each other, their features awash in mirth as they laughed at something.

She frowned suddenly, a sense of unease tightening her chest and stomach. She really hadn't seen her mother look that happy since her dad had died. She'd been destroyed for so long afterward, finally pulling herself together only to dive headfirst into work. Katniss knew she should be happy for her mother—and she was. Kind of. This was what she wanted, after all.

But it still felt strange, like a betrayal to her father somehow. She swallowed down the knot of anxiety and started to voice her concerns to Peeta, but his phone pinged then, signaling a text alert. He shifted on the railing to pull his phone out of his pocket, studying his screen intently as he read the text, then he slid his fingers across the surface to unlock it and type a response. She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Who're you texting?" she inquired. She didn't bother with politeness; Peeta was used to it by now, anyway.

Distracted, he hummed in response, waiting a moment to answer. "Umm, it's just Delly," he mumbled, his fingers still moving over the touch pad. Her brow furrowed.  _Delly_?

"What does she want?"

He finally locked his screen and set his phone down on the railing next to him, shrugging. "She asked what I was up to."

She scoffed. "I didn't realize you two were texting buddies now."

He smiled at her. "We aren't. I mean, not that I know of, anyway. We have an assignment we're working on in AP History together, so we exchanged numbers. I guess she's being friendly."

Katniss rolled her eyes, drumming her fingers on the railing. "I think you mean she wants to get friendly with your  _dick_ ," she corrected. He laughed, ruffling his hair. His phone beeped again, and he snatched it up.

"Don't say that; it makes me feel weird."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not into her like that," he replied, attention trained on his phone again as he typed out another text. She arched a skeptical eyebrow.

"Why not? She's totally your type."

"My type?" He shot her an amused glance before turning back to his phone. "I don't have a type. What's my type?"

Katniss snorted, her hands gripping the railing firmly. "You so have a type. Blonde hair and big boobs."

Peeta set his phone down again and shook his head, his cheeks slightly red. "I don't think so. And I mean, big boobs are any guy's type, really."

"Hello, Glimmer? And Lainey? And even Madge, the week you guys dated in seventh grade."

His laugh was short and unconvinced. "Okay, Madge doesn't count because we were 13, and she definitely did not have big boobs back then. And Lainey was more of a strawberry blonde..."

Katniss leveled him with an exasperated look. "Right. Whatever, I'm calling it. You're gonna bang Delly."

He rolled his eyes, picking his phone back up when it pinged again. "Not gonna happen. I don't like her like that," he said dismissively.

"Then what does she want?" she badgered, leaning closer to peer at his phone, but he angled it away from her.

"She just wanted to know what I was up to, and she invited me to a party."

She barked in triumph. "See? She totally wants to fuck you." Peeta huffed at her.

"I told her I was hanging out with you, and she said you could come, too, just FYI."

Katniss narrowed her eyes. "Well, yeah. She knew she had to invite me in order to get you to go so she can get into your pants."

Peeta chuckled at that. "Not likely. You're too much of a cock block; everyone knows that."

She gasped indignantly and shoved him; he flailed trying to grab the railing to balance himself and laughed. "I'm not opposed to you getting laid," she insisted tightly. "I just, you know, think you should be a little more discerning."

He grinned at her. "Right. So, do you want to go to this party later?" he asked, waving his phone at her. She scrunched her nose in thought then shook her head.

"Nah. Don't think it's my scene. But you can go if you want," she replied quietly, turning her attention back to their parents. Peeta shrugged next to her, his fingers flying across his screen.

"Well, I'm hanging out with you tonight, so if you're not going, I'm not going," he said, pocketing his phone after he'd sent the text. A moment of silence passed between them as they watched their parents, who were still talking, then Peeta wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against his side. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his waist to snuggle closer into his warmth. "Just think. In a year's time, we could be family."

"One really weird family," she joked.

"Well, only you, but every family needs a black sheep, I guess," he teased, and she snorted, pinching his side.

"Shut up, dick."


	3. Chapter 2

Katniss fumbled with her keys as she tried to unlock the front door to her house; it was pitch dark outside, other than the soft glow of streetlights. She wished Prim had left the damn porch light on for her before she left to go to her dance rehearsal. Since both Katniss and their mother had to work that night, Prim had been forced to get a ride to her dance class with her friend, Rue; she was spending the night at her house as well, as it was easier for everybody involved. And Ms. Everdeen was going to be at the hospital until 4 or 5 in the morning, leaving Katniss to her own devices all night. Which was fine—she was used to it. She was glad she worked as a projectionist at the old movie theater that played a bunch of artsy foreign films; all she had to do was change reels and start the movies, and then she had plenty of downtime to herself to do homework.

But it was after 10 now, and she hadn't eaten anything beyond a handful of popcorn; she was starving.

Finally, she jiggled the door unlocked and pushed it open, tossing her keys on the console table in the foyer. She didn't bother with the lights as she made her way to the kitchen, so familiar with the exact trajectory that led from the door to the fridge as she was; she could find it blind.

Shrugging her backpack off her shoulders, she had just let it slide from her hand to the floor when she felt arms encircle her from behind. Her heart shot into her throat, forcing out a terrified scream that was quickly muffled by a large hand that covered her mouth. Her arms were effectively pinned to her sides, her back flat against a wall of solid chest. Her legs were free, though, and she'd just geared up to stomp on the person's insole when a warm puff of air tickled her ear.

"Tag, you're it."

Peeta. Her entire body went limp as the fear and adrenaline were sapped from her, but then anger and annoyance immediately surged in their places. She licked his palm with her tongue to get him to remove his hand, and he did so hastily, laughing as he released her from his hold. She whirled around to glower at him; even in the dark, his eyes gleamed. "I'm gonna fucking murder you!" she all but shrieked, her voice tremulous. Still, she was relieved to see him, even if he had scared the shit out of her.

He held his hands up harmlessly, another amused laugh tumbling from his lips. "Man, you've got a filthy mouth," he joked. At her withering glare, he smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I couldn't resist the opportunity. At least, I came bearing food."

And just like that, her anger vanished; her face went slack with excitement as her eyebrows shot up. "Really?" she asked, and he nodded, pointing to the kitchen island behind her. She spun back around, throwing over her shoulder, "Turn on a light, will ya?"

Peeta hit the switch on the wall near him, flooding the kitchen with light. Katniss spotted the container immediately, the inside of the lid beading with condensation from the heat of the food. Her mouth was already watering, and she didn't even know what he had brought. It didn't matter; if either he or his dad had made it, it was good.

She perched on a stool and opened the container greedily: meatloaf with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. She moaned happily. "Oh, man, you're the best. Thank you; I was probably just going to eat a bowl of cereal."

Grabbing a fork from a drawer, he brandished it for her as he sat down on another stool. "I figured. Dad made extra, of course, and I knew you had to work late, so I thought I'd do my best friend duties," he gloated proudly while she dug in, scooping up a bite of meatloaf and potatoes to shovel into her mouth. It was fantastic.

"I guess thinking I was about to get murdered was totally worth this, thanks," she mumbled around her mouthful. Peeta just smirked.

"You should always be on alert, you know this."

She narrowed her eyes at him, though the way she was stuffing her mouth with food made the look more comical than threatening. "I didn't think a game of tag was serious enough to warrant breaking and entering."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "You know I have keys to pretty much everything you own."

"What if I had been my mom, huh?" she asked, crunching into some asparagus.

"Well, I don't think your mom would have threatened to murder me, at least," he said mirthfully, and he snatched up an asparagus stalk to bite into.

"You're right. Normally, when my mom gets grabbed from behind in her own house, she invites the intruder in for a cup of tea," she said drily. Peeta smiled.

"Sounds romantic. I'll pass the advice on to my dad."

She decided to ignore his joke and kept eating, scooping another large mouthful of mashed potatoes and meatloaf into her mouth. After she'd swallowed, she remembered something. "So Prim's got a recital next Thursday. My mom will actually be going to this one. Do you think you can convince your dad to go?" she asked.

He frowned pensively, bracing his arms against the counter as he leaned forward to think. "Not sure. What time?"

"Seven p.m."

He chewed his lip as he thought. "Well, he closes the bakery at 6, so that's doable. It's just—why would he go to a recital? He doesn't normally do that."

Katniss nibbled on the metal prongs of her fork. "I don't know. You're the genius manipulator here, can't you think of something? Tell him you want to support Prim and that she might be excited to see him there," she suggested. "She kind of looked up to him like a father figure when Dad died."

Peeta scrubbed a hand through his hair and shrugged. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Scrapping the last dollop of mashed potatoes off the side of container, she sucked it off her fork and pushed the empty container toward him. "I think Mom might be smitten with him," she told him with a smile, standing up from the counter. "She talked about him for a couple days after that dinner."

He grinned, swiveling in the stool to follow her as she walked to the sink to get a glass of water. "My dad tries to play it cool, but I think he was, too. Even without a good excuse, I think he'll still go to the recital just to see her."

"Yeah, I think she'd be pleased to see him there, especially if he's showing an interest in the things Prim does," she tossed over her shoulder as she filled a cup at the faucet. She took a large gulp and turned back to him. "So you want to watch a movie or something?"

He laughed lightly. "You just spent all night at the theater—you're not sick of movies?"

She made a face, pushing away from the sink. "They're pretentious movies. I want to watch something funny and mindless. Or scary." She motioned for him to follow her into the living room, stooping down beside her backpack to fish something out. She held the box out to him, rattling it. "I swiped a damaged box of Junior Mints."

His eyes lit up, and he snatched them from her. "Aw, you were thinking of me," he cooed obnoxiously, and she pushed on his back to propel him toward the living room.

"Don't be stupid. I like them, too," she said, flopping down on the couch beside him when he sat down. Setting her drink on the side table, she curled her legs underneath her while he kicked his feet up on the coffee table, already tearing into the box. "So what do you want to watch?"

He shrugged, popping a couple of Junior Mints into his mouth. "I'unno. Lights are off; I've already scared the shit out of you—why not expand on the mood?"

Katniss grabbed the controller and flipped the TV on, starting up Netflix. "Scary movie it is," she agreed, leaning into his side. She plucked the box of candy from his hand, leveling him with a look. "Don't even think about scaring me again tonight. I brought you Junior Mints. You have to be nice to me."

He chuckled, bemused. "And I brought you dinner. As far as I'm concerned, all bets are off now," he taunted, and she huffed, stuffing a few mints into her mouth.

"I'm gonna get you back for that, you know," she warned, and he pulled her closer until they were more comfortable.

"You always do, Everdeen," he said as they settled in to pick a movie.

* * *

"Sorry, this is all I've got for snacks," Katniss said apologetically as she tossed a bag of chips onto the coffee table. Johanna converged on it immediately, ripping it open. "My mom hasn't really been around to go grocery shopping."

"That's fine—we've got liquid calories to consume, anyway," Johanna mumbled around the food in her mouth, spitting chips everywhere, and she gestured to the six-pack of Bud Light she'd managed to swipe from her parents' fridge; she was adamant her father wouldn't even notice it was missing.

She as well as Annie and Madge were crashing at Katniss' house for the night for a little girl time. As always, Katniss' mother was working, and Prim was at Rue's house; she'd made sure her sister was going to be out before she'd agreed to let Johanna bring over the beer. Prim wasn't above tattling on her to their mother.

Folding her legs underneath her on the couch, Annie leaned forward and ripped a couple of cans from the plastic rings for her and Madge. Katniss sat down on the floor cross-legged, propped up against the armchair Johanna was spread out on. Taking the pack from Annie, Katniss tore off two beers for her and Johanna and held one over her head. Johanna took it and passed her the bag of chips, popping the tab on her can to take a few gulps. The others did the same; Madge made a face, wrinkling her delicate nose as she swallowed the beer.

"Ugh, this tastes like crap," she complained, taking another sip anyway. Johanna snorted.

"Sorry, I forgot how refined your tastes are as a Councilman's daughter," she jabbed harmlessly. "Maybe next time you can bring some of your Daddy's stash of whiskey he keeps in his office at Town Hall."

Madge flushed mildly and rolled her eyes, but Annie piped up first. "I'm more horrified by this chip situation. What is this store-brand crap? Pretzels would have been a better choice," she complained when she took the bag from Katniss.

"I'm not running a convenience store here, Annie," she replied flatly, swigging her beer, then she turned on the TV to find something to watch. She finally settled on a horrible SyFy movie that looked somewhat promising, if for nothing more than a few laughs.

"Oh, man, I've seen some of this already; it's so terrible it's actually good," Johanna laughed, throwing her legs over the arm of her chair so she was sitting sideways. "The shark, like, flies or some shit."

"Sharks get such a bad rep," Annie said mournfully, earning reproachful looks from everyone else. "They do! Most really aren't that terrifying, but the media makes them all out to be bloodthirsty animals hell-bent on attacking humans. They're really amazing creatures. Have you ever been cage diving with sharks? It's incredible."

Madge looked horrified. "Uh, no, thank you. I'll stick with dolphins."

"Dude, dolphins can be assholes, too," Johanna interjected. Katniss' phone vibrated with a text, and she picked it up from the coffee table while the others dissolved into an argument about the merits of dolphins and sharks. She snorted with an amused laugh when she saw the photo from Peeta. He was sitting on a couch, his face deadpanned as he pointed at Thresh, who was passed out with his head slumped on Peeta's shoulder. The text read:  _Look who can't handle his alcohol. Amateur._

"What are you laughing at, brainless?" Johanna asked, nudging Katniss with her toe. Katniss held the phone up so she could see the picture, too, and Johanna laughed. "Nice. Where are they?"

Katniss frowned while she typed out a hasty response. "Some party Delly invited him to. Not sure where."

Madge's face lit up. "Ooh, Delly, huh? That girl from lunch the other day?" Katniss nodded.

"Yeah, she's been bugging him to come hang out with her ever since. He finally gave in, the sucker."

"Please, I'm sure Delly wasn't twisting his arm," Annie teased, munching on a chip. "Does he like her?"

Before Katniss could respond, Johanna spoke, "And more importantly, what is this party where all the cool kids are supposedly hanging out? And where's our invite?"

Katniss rolled her eyes. "No, he doesn't like her like that. At least, that's what he keeps saying. And Peeta invited me, but I don't know her, and I already had plans with you guys, so," she said dismissively, sipping her Bud Light.

"I think Finn said something about this party, too, but he has a swim meet this weekend, obviously," Annie said.

"Do you think he's gonna hook up with Delly?" Madge asked Katniss with an arch of her eyebrow, and Katniss curled her lip in disgust, putting her phone away.

"I don't know. I guess she's pretty enough, but she seems entirely too sweet for the kind of girl he normally goes for. He has a thing for bitches, I think."

Johanna tugged on her braid. "Clearly. Just look at you."

Katniss twisted on the floor to punch her in the thigh, and Johanna yelped before cackling loudly. "If I'm a bitch, then you're a bitch,  _bitch_."

"Well, no shit. That's why we get along so well."

Katniss glowered good-naturedly at her friend, but Annie's next question caught her attention. "Are you two still trying to set your parents up?"

Nodding, Katniss readjusted her position to plant her feet on the ground, her knees flexed toward the ceiling. "Yeah. They seemed to hit it off at the dinner we did last weekend."

"Is that really a good idea?" Madge asked, flicking the tab on her can absently. Katniss frowned at her. The others had fallen eerily quiet.

"What do you mean? If they get along well and it works out, I don't see why it wouldn't be a good idea."

Madge shrugged. "I don't know. You and Peeta...you're very close. Like, obnoxiously close. I mean...you two never...?" she trailed off, seeming to want Katniss to fill in the blanks for her, but Katniss just stared at her dumbly. "You two don't think about hooking up, like,  _ever_?"

Katniss' eyebrows shot up. "What?! No, we—I mean, that never—we've never...that would be weird!" she floundered, flustered at the insinuation. "We know way too much about each other. He used to wipe his boogers on me, okay?" Johanna barked in amusement, but Katniss ignored her. "No, that's  _weird_. It would be weird," she insisted. "We're more like brother and sister."

Madge held her hands up in a defensive gesture. "Okay, I was just asking. I mean, I feel like everybody kind of—well, we just thought you guys would eventually, you know, someday...date."

Katniss' eyes widened. "Seriously— _everybody_?" she repeated incredulously.

"Pretty much," Johanna said. "We were just kind of waiting for you two to get your heads out of your asses—or each other's asses, really..."

Katniss glared at her. "Look, if it hasn't happened yet, it's not going to happen. Don't you think if we were interested in dating each other, we would have figured that out by now?" No one said anything immediately, and Johanna eventually shrugged.

"I dunno. Regardless, you two are gonna make for some fucked up siblings. You hang all over each other as it is. I definitely do  _not_  let my brother touch me the way Peeta touches you."

Katniss wasn't sure why she was blushing, but she didn't like when people made her feel weird about her close relationship with Peeta. They were best friends. He loved her, and she loved him, though maybe she wasn't always the best at showing it—definitely not saying it—but that didn't mean they were _in love_  with each other. He was an attractive, viable love interest for any girl, she was well aware of this about him, but she just saw him as her friend—brother at the most. And she was certain he had never expressed any interest in her beyond that, either.

Honestly, why did people always immediately assume any teenagers of the opposite sex who were friends had to be fucking or were just biding their time until they  _could_  fuck?

She took a deep pull of her beer and focused her attention on the TV. "Whatever," she grumbled finally. "Watch the shitty shark movie and shut up already."

* * *

Katniss couldn't believe how easy her AP Biology class was sometimes. It was so easy, it was almost annoying; the teacher, Mr. Flavius, was kind of slack. It was nearly three months into the semester, and he already had them watching "Gattaca" because he didn't feel like teaching. Maybe if she didn't enjoy science so much, she might not have minded, but sometimes she'd rather be doing actual experiments and learning.

Also, Ethan Hawke was just not that attractive.

Either way, she was glad she shared the class with Peeta. They were lab partners, so they sat at the same table. They were playing a game of "Draw Something" at the moment. He was infinitely better at this game; she just stuck with crappy stick figures most of the time. But that did mean she had an easier time guessing his words.

He laughed under his breath at the last drawing she'd just done and shot her a look. "Is that supposed to be a crab?" he asked dubiously. She wanted to huff in annoyance.

"No—" she stopped herself and made a face. "I mean, maybe. I'm not telling you. You're supposed to guess."

"If it is a crab, then it's been exposed to toxic waste because that is  _not_  normal," he said, keeping his voice low. Not that it mattered—Mr. Flavius looked like he was asleep at his desk, and the other students were goofing off quietly, too. Peeta concentrated on his phone intently as he considered the drawing, drumming his fingers on the table, so she absently began doodling in her notebook while she waited. Her phone buzzed a couple minutes later, and she looked at it. She smirked at him, lifting an eyebrow.

"You got it right."

He shrugged. "Well, you said it wasn't a crab. I decided that thing wasn't a pincer but a bindle, so hobo it is." He nudged her with his elbow, smiling slyly. "I would have thought after a year of this, your drawing skills would have improved by now."

She glared playfully at him. "I'm sorry we're not all wunderkinds who can do everything as perfectly as you can, jerk," she said with mock indignation. He just chuckled and went back to his game to start drawing his next word; he liked to do elaborate art pieces, so she knew she had a while to wait. Idly turning her attention back to the movie, she whiled the time away until the class ended. Peeta still hadn't finished by the time the bell rang.

After they had packed up their backpacks, they filed out of the classroom with the others. It was the last class of the day, so everyone was heading home. She started to turn in the direction of the parking lot, but Peeta tugged on her hand, forcing her back toward him. He smiled. "Hey, I've got wrestling, remember? So I'm not going home just yet," he told her.

Her face fell. "Oh, right, I almost forgot." She tried not to pout. It was the same every year, so she should be used to his schedule by now. And he was captain of the wrestling team this year, so she knew he was going to be even busier. It was a wonder they hung out as much as they did, between all his school work, extracurricular activities and shifts at the bakery.

"You know, you're really making the rest of us look bad," she said, the corner of her mouth twisting into a begrudging smile, and he laughed, pulling her into a hug.

"Yep, I do it just to piss you off," he agreed into the top of her hair, and she squeezed him tightly before releasing him.

"Well, go get 'em, Captain," she said with a mocking salute, and he rolled his eyes.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later—"

"Hey, Peeta!"

Delly appeared suddenly, touching his arm to get his attention. He looked down at her, surprise flashing across his face. His eyes flickered back to Katniss, his eyebrow twitching just slightly, but then he smiled at Delly. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing—oh, hey, Katniss, isn't it?" she asked, finally noticing the other girl standing there. Katniss tried not to stare at the way she was squeezing his bicep, forcing her gaze up to Delly's face.

"Uh, yeah." She left it at that, but Delly smiled politely, her eyes darting back to Peeta.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. I just saw you standing here, and I remembered you said you had wrestling after school—right?"

Peeta nodded, hiking his backpack farther up his shoulders. "Yep."

"Can I walk with you that way then? I'm heading that direction, too," she said, beaming brightly at him. He nodded again.

"Yeah, sure." He glanced back at Katniss, a warning look in his eyes when he saw the expression forming on her face. "I'll talk to you later?"

She bit down on her lip to fight the smirk. "Yep, later," she said with a wave. Delly waved at her, too, before falling into step beside Peeta as he headed the opposite direction. Katniss raised an eyebrow as she watched them, Delly looping her arm through Peeta's.

Well. She was awfully chummy as of late.

Peeta threw her a look over his shoulder as if he could sense her thoughts. "Shut up," he mouthed emphatically, and she just held her hands up, smiling widely, then she turned on her heel and began her trek to the parking lot. She remembered suddenly that Johanna was waiting for her, expecting a lift home, and she picked up her pace, eager to tell her about Delly.

But then she remembered her conversation with the girls the other night, about how they all expected her and Peeta to hook up, and she frowned. If she told Johanna her suspicions about Delly and Peeta, she'd just tease her for being jealous.

And she wasn't. She wasn't  _jealous_. Delly was all wrong for Peeta, really—way too nice and cloying—but she didn't think that because she was jealous; she just knew him better than anyone else, and she knew what qualities he liked in a girl, what qualities worked best with his. Beyond her looks, Delly really wasn't his type.

Still, she wouldn't be surprised if he hooked up with her, dated her for a little bit before he came around to the same conclusion as Katniss. Like he had with Glimmer. And then she could tell him she told him so.

* * *

They stood around the lobby of the auditorium—Katniss, Peeta and their parents—waiting for Prim to come out. Her recital was over, and the rest of the crowd and dancers were filtering out the front doors. Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark were talking among themselves, gushing about Prim's performance. Katniss stood next to Peeta; he had his hip pressed against hers, trying to topple her over, but she dug her heel in stubbornly and pushed back.

They were in a stalemate essentially, until her mother said her name, startling her. She lost her balance and stumbled a couple steps from the force of Peeta's hip on hers. Laughing, he grabbed her arm and yanked her back before she could collide with a woman skirting past them. Brushing him off, she shot him a stern look before she turned her attention back to her mother. "What?" she asked stupidly.

Ms. Everdeen smiled patiently, sharing a glance with Mr. Mellark. "I was just saying how I wished you hadn't given up on ballet. I enjoyed watching you on stage."

Her face flushed in embarrassment and then anger. She'd given it up because her dad had died, and she'd had no one to take her to rehearsal anymore once her mother had started working all the time. She was going to remind her mother of this but thought better of it and bit her tongue; things seemed to be going well between their parents, and she feared bringing up her dad would be like dumping a bucket of ice water on the moment. Instead, she said tightly, "I sucked at it. I don't dance."

Peeta snorted. "Yeah, right, I've seen you dance many times."

"That's only when I'm—" she caught herself, realizing what she'd been about to say:  _drunk_. She knew that wasn't going to sit well with her mother; they used to get into fights all the time during her rebellious phase a few years ago, when she would drink and smoke, staying out all night with friends. She licked her lips. "Because I dance  _ironically_  when I dance around you. I do it to make fun of people who actually  _do_  dance."

The others laughed, and Katniss leveled him with a more discreet glare. He just grinned, unaffected, shrugging his shoulder in a halfhearted apology.

Prim came bounding up to them then, her bag slung over her shoulder. "Mom!" she squealed in excitement. Ms. Everdeen pulled her into a hug.

_"_ Prim _,_  you did so well! I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed, hugging her tightly. When Prim pulled away, she glanced at Peeta and Mr. Mellark shyly.

"Um, hi. I didn't know you were coming," she demurred, clasping her hands behind her back. Peeta reached over and ruffled her hair, which was pulled into a tight ponytail.

"Of course, squirt."

Mr. Mellark smiled warmly at her. "Peeta convinced me to come, and I'm glad I did. Your mother's right—you were phenomenal up there. I'm really impressed," he complimented, and Prim blushed hard.

"Thank you," she squeaked, half-hiding behind their mother. Katniss folded her arms over her chest and tried not to roll her eyes. Prim could be a real charmer when she turned it on; she clearly didn't waste any of it on her big sister, though.

"Well, should we get going?" Ms. Everdeen suggested, and they poured out of the auditorium into the parking lot. Their parents walked together, Prim in between, tucked under her mother's arm. Peeta and Katniss hung back behind them, observing them.

"This was a good idea," Peeta mused, hooking his elbow around hers. She looked down at their intertwined arms and then back up at him, smirking.

"Are you sure Delly's going to be comfortable with you linking arms with another girl?" she teased, and even in the soft glow of the parking lot lights, she could make out his blush.

"Oh, god, I knew you were going to say something," he groaned, running a hand through his curls with his other hand. "Okay, so maybe she  _does_  like me. I caught her checking out my ass in class yesterday when I bent over to pick up a book."

Katniss snorted. "Told you." Then she shrugged. "If you're gonna date her, I promise I won't give you shit for it." That was a lie; she always gave him shit.

He hummed in response. "Oh, really? That doesn't really jibe with what you were telling me the other night at the family dinner."

"Whatever," she deflected. "Just as long as you think she can tolerate our friendship. I don't think she likes me very much."

He looked at her funny. "Delly likes  _everybody_. Anyway, nobody can tolerate our friendship. We're extremely annoying." She nodded in agreement. "But it doesn't matter. I already told you I'm not interested in dating her."

She frowned up at him. "But why not? If she likes you—"

"Jesus, Katniss," he laughed. "Do you think guys are incapable of not wanting sex from every girl they meet? Just because she has tits, that doesn't automatically mean I want to stick my dick in her."

She shushed him, glancing warily at their parents ahead of them; they appeared oblivious still. "Okay, fine. I was just saying—you know, she's fairly pretty. I wouldn't be surprised if you were attracted to her."

He just shook his head. "It's like you're determined to get me laid, and while I appreciate that, I've been fairly successful in the past getting girlfriends on my own. So don't worry about me. Maybe you should be looking for you own boyfriend," he suggested, reaching his opposite hand over to tug on her braid. She lightly slapped his hand away.

"If I want a boyfriend, I'll find a boyfriend. It's just too much hassle right now," she said, annoyed. She'd never had a boyfriend before, technically, though she'd dated in the past. If she could even call it that. She'd even had sex with one of the guys she'd been with. But she hadn't hooked up with anyone since she was 14, and she'd only done it at the time because she was still grieving over her father's death. She knew she was entirely too young, but she'd thought it would help; it had, for a little while, but when she finally got over being an obnoxious little shit a few months later, she was no longer interested in the bad boys she'd been hanging out with. For a good year there, she'd successfully driven a wedge between her and Peeta with the way she'd acted out; he hadn't really approved, since he was the epitome of the Golden Child. Once she realized how much she missed his companionship, she got over herself and straightened her act up.

"One day, some guy's gonna sweep you off your feet, and then what am I gonna do, huh?" he joked.

"I don't know, kick his ass for knocking me over. That's rude," she said brusquely, and he chuckled drily in response. They stopped by their parents' cars, where Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark were saying goodbye. Prim was already hopping into the passenger seat.

"Bye, Peeta!" she called with a wave before shutting the door. He held his hand up in parting, then hugged Katniss.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked, and she nodded, watching their parents inconspicuously over his shoulder; they didn't touch when they bid farewell, but they were smiling a lot. That was a good sign. Pulling away from Peeta, she punched his arm lightly with a sly grin.

"See you at lunch."


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicating this chapter to misshoneywell because she would not shut the fuck up about me updating. So here you go, you demanding jerkface.

"You guys wanna go to a college Halloween party?" Johanna asked once she'd sat down at their lunch table, tossing her tray down. It clattered loudly, and everyone looked at her, pausing in their varied states of eating—except Katniss. She took another bite of her sandwich, barely sparing the other girl a glance. Food was always more important than social activities, as far as she was concerned. "It's this weekend."

"Who's throwing the party?" Finnick asked, resuming devouring his slice of pizza.

"It's this guy my brother knows from community college; they have some classes together," Johanna answered. "His name's Gale. He seems pretty cool. I was talking to him, and he invited me. Thought I'd ask you guys. They're likely to have a better selection of alcohol than any high school party, too."

Katniss made a face, briefly glancing at Peeta. "Do we have to go in costume?" she asked, swallowing her bite.

Johanna shrugged, but Madge laughed. "You always try to find the least fun way to do things, Katniss," she accused, and Katniss pursed her lips, hiding her scowl behind her sandwich. She just felt stupid in costumes. High school was supposed to be the brief reprieve you got between adolescence and college where you weren't expected to dress up for the holiday anymore—at least, that was how she saw it, anyway.

"I don't know. I mean, I think you can, but you probably don't  _have_  to. He didn't specify," Johanna replied, pulling out her phone. "Wanna see a picture of him? He's pretty hot." She fiddled with her phone for a minute, then she flipped it around. Madge took her phone from her to look at the photo first. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, wow, he is totally cute," she said, awed. "Are you two—?"

Johanna laughed. "Nah. I mean, I'd do him, but he is way too broody for my tastes." Madge passed the phone to Annie, and Finnick peered over her shoulder. Johanna grinned slyly then, shooting Katniss a meaningful look. "Katniss, though...I think he's right up her alley. She does broody very well."

Rolling her eyes, Katniss held her hand out. "Shut up. Let me see," she said, snatching the phone up when Annie passed it over. She arched an eyebrow at the photo. It was a picture of Johanna smoking a cigarette with her brother and another guy—Gale, she assumed, as she didn't recognize him. He was tall and rugged, his hair falling into his eyes; his expression was serious, like he didn't know how to smile for a camera. But they were right: He  _was_  attractive. "Yeah, he's not bad," she admitted.

Peeta leaned over to examine the photo, too. He scoffed at her answer. "Are you normally attracted to your relatives?" he asked wryly, and she shot him a perplexed look.

"Huh?"

He smiled at her and pointed to the phone. "He looks like he could be your cousin. Your brother even! Look at that hair and that skin. He's even got the same eyes as you. That's weird. I didn't know you were into incest," he joked, and she shoved him lightly, frowning.

"It's not incest if we're not related. And all I said was he's not bad-looking."

Peeta shook his head, still smiling as Katniss handed the phone back to Johanna. "How do you know you're not related? What if he's a long-lost cousin?"

"Hey, in this state, that's not illegal," Finnick jumped in, grinning. Peeta laughed, but everyone else shot him disgusted looks, even Annie, who shook her head in admonishment. Johanna pocketed her phone and scooped up her burger to take a bite.

"Anyway—you guys in?"

Madge nodded earnestly, and the others shrugged. Peeta looked to Katniss for confirmation, and she lifted her shoulder noncommittally. "Sure, why not?" she agreed. It wasn't like she had better plans for Halloween.

"Awesome. Well, it's this Friday. I'll text you all the address," Johanna said.

"I've got a match Saturday morning, so I won't be able to drink," Peeta interjected. Katniss smirked at him.

"Great, so you can be DD," she told him. He rolled his eyes.

"Aren't I always?" he asked rhetorically. Then he grinned at her, his eyes twinkling. "Are you gonna dance  _ironically_  for us this time? Show us some of your old ballet moves?"

She pinned him with an exasperated look. "I hate you," she grumbled. He chuckled and pulled out a brownie from his lunch bag. Unwrapping it from its Saran wrap, he split it in two and handed her one half. She took it eagerly and bit into it. "I take it back. I don't hate you," she said, stifling a moan at the way the chocolate practically melted on her tongue.

His grin widened, a dimple creasing his cheek. "Aw, is that a confession of love, Katniss?" he teased. "How very heartfelt." His eyes gleamed, and he reached up to brush a brownie crumb from her mouth. Her stomach tightened, and her heart fluttered as his knuckle grazed her lip. She froze, staring at him, but he turned away to finish his lunch.

Well, shit. That was weird.

Flushing in embarrassment, she quickly looked around at the rest of her friends to see if they had been watching. She caught Johanna's eye, but the other girl quickly averted her gaze to respond to something Madge said; Katniss wasn't sure if she'd been watching them or not. Fuck, now she was paranoid. Damn her friends for planting this irrational fear about her relationship with Peeta in her head.

They were wrong, she told herself. That was all there was to it.

She tried to eat the rest of her brownie after that, but it felt like chalk in her mouth.

* * *

Peeta pulled his car into the parking lot of the apartment complex Johanna had directed him to. Katniss sat in the passenger seat, while Johanna and Madge took up the back. The two of them were dressed in costume, Johanna as a pirate wench and Madge as a flapper. Katniss hadn't bothered dressing up, and Peeta came in just his street clothes, too, in a sign of solidarity. Annie and Finnick had driven separately from the rest of them—probably so they could make out or do it at some point. Once Peeta had parked, they all climbed out of the car, slamming the doors shut. Katniss fell in step beside Peeta; they let Johanna take the lead since she knew which apartment it was.

"Man, I feel like a pimp walking into a college apartment with three girls," he boasted arrogantly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She tipped her head back to look up at him with a small smile.

"Until everyone finds out you're still a junior in high school and laughs at you," she taunted. He just flashed her a cheeky grin, tightening his arm around her shoulders, and she let him, despite how intimate it suddenly felt, ever since her conversation with her friends. At the moment, however, she was uncomfortable at the prospect of being at a party with college students and drew confidence from his presence; she wondered how annoyed these college kids were going to be with a group of high schoolers showing up.

As if she could read her fears, Johanna spoke up as she stepped up to the door. "Don't worry; I assured Gale you all were cool. So don't make me a liar," she threatened humorously, throwing a glare over her shoulder before she swung the door open, not even bothering to knock. They were immediately assaulted with loud music and laughter as they slipped through the front door. Peeta unsnaked his arm from Katniss' shoulders, but he stayed close, pressing a hand against her lower back as he allowed her to walk in ahead of him.

No one paid them much attention as they made their way into the living room, barely looking in their direction. Johanna finally found Gale, and she waved to him. He nodded at her and made his way over, hugging her.

"Hey, good to see you," he greeted over the music. His voice was deep; Katniss thought she could feel it rumbling in the pit of her stomach with the bass of the music. "These your friends?"

Johanna gestured behind her to them. "Yeah, there's two more coming. But this is Madge, Katniss and Peeta," she introduced, pointing at each of them respectively. Gale shook their hands individually.

"Well, grab something to drink if you want. There's beer pong and card games going on," he said, then he smirked. "Just try to stay inside the apartment, okay? In case the police decide to patrol the area."

He led Johanna and Madge to the kitchen to get some beer. Katniss turned to look at Peeta, her eyebrows lifted in concern. He laughed lightly. "Well, that was comforting, wasn't it?" he joked, pushing on her hip slightly to guide her into the kitchen. "You heard the man; stay inside the apartment."

A couple hours later, and Katniss was definitely a little buzzed. She had played a few games of beer pong with Johanna as her partner. They'd only won so much because Johanna was good; Katniss definitely hadn't brought anything to the team. Finnick and Annie had finally shown up at some point and were partaking in a game of Circle of Death with the others. Since Annie and Peeta were driving, they just stuck to water. Katniss was definitely glad she wasn't DD; she needed a little liquid courage to put her at ease in this type of social gathering.

She wandered into the kitchen after she and Johanna finally lost at beer pong, looking for a refill; she found Gale at the keg, filling his own cup. He spotted her and smiled slightly. "Katniss, right?"

She tried to return his smile and swayed closer. "Yeah. I just need another drink."

"Hold on a second," he said, topping off his beer. Then he put it down and took her empty cup from her to fill it up. She wrapped her arms around her waist as she waited, and he glanced at her. "Having fun?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Uh, thanks for being cool about us being here."

He smiled again; it seemed out of place with his severe features. "No problem. I'm not 21 yet either, so don't worry," he said, winking. Winking? She shook her head, wondering how much the alcohol was actually affecting her cognizance at the moment.

"Well...cool," she said lamely, taking the cup from him when he returned it.

"So, Peeta...is he your boyfriend?" he asked casually, sipping his own beer. She blinked, completely unprepared for that inquiry.

"I—no, no," she insisted. She almost asked him why he thought that, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know. She suddenly felt flustered, so she took a deep gulp of her beer. "We're not dating," she added unnecessarily, licking the foam from her lips. Gale was still smiling at her.

"Cool. I was just wondering," he said with a shrug. Then he squinted at her. "So, you're...16, right? Same as Jo?" She nodded. His smile widened still. He was very handsome. It was making her uncomfortable.

"She's a riot," he continued, leaning against the wall. "I'm friends with her brother, Jack. He's cool. We're in the same Forestry class."

Her eyes widened. "Forestry? That's interesting. Are you, like...into science then?" He nodded.

"Oh, yeah. Love it. I spent a lot of time in the woods when I was younger, so that's where I'm aiming my focus at."

She smiled slightly. "Yeah, me too. About being in the woods, I mean. My dad used to call me his little monkey." She cringed inwardly at herself for revealing that information; she blamed her loose tongue on the alcohol. Gale chuckled.

"Monkey, huh?"

She rolled her eyes, fighting a blush. "It didn't help that I had long, scrawny limbs."

He grinned at her, staring intently. "Well, you certainly don't look like a monkey now."

She was rendered speechless, dumbfounded by his come-on. No, he couldn't be flirting with her. She was misinterpreting him. He was just being friendly. She sipped more of her beer to alleviate her dry mouth and nerves, unsure how to respond, but she was saved the trouble by Peeta, who suddenly appeared in the kitchen.

"Hey, Gale—they're looking for you on the beer pong table."

Gale nodded his acquiescence and pushed off the wall. "Thanks, man. See you out there, Monkey," he said to her, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk, and then he was walking out of the kitchen. Peeta was in front of her suddenly, a strange look on his face.

"Monkey?" he repeated, amusement in his voice, and her neck flushed with heat.

"I made the mistake of revealing my childhood shame—never mind," she deflected. Peeta shook his head but tugged on her cup to look into it. She furrowed her brow. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure he didn't put anything in your drink," he said simply, releasing it after he'd given it a thorough examination. Her mouth dropped open.

"What? No, he didn't put anything in my drink—I watched him pour it!"

He shrugged, holding his hands up. "I was just playing. But, honestly, how well do we really know him? He might be kind of desperate if he's hitting on high schoolers."

She glared at him. "Desperate? He's desperate for being interested in me?" She realized how ludicrous that sounded—Gale wasn't into her. Peeta's eyes widened, though.

"No, I didn't—of course, he's not desperate for being interested in you  _specifically_ ; I didn't mean that," he corrected, laughing it off. "You know what I meant. Come on. I'm not surprised he would be into you."

Katniss rolled her eyes, petulantly sipping her beer. "He's not into me."

He tilted his head as he smiled at her, then he shook his head. "You have no idea."

"What?"

"The effect you have on people."

She stared at him uncomprehendingly, but he didn't elaborate, and before she could ask him to, he grabbed her elbow to turn her around, steering her out of the kitchen. "Come on, they're waiting for us to start the next card game."

* * *

Katniss was surprised to find Mr. Mellark's car outside her house when she got off of work Wednesday night. She wasn't sure what to expect when she walked inside—could her mother being have sex with Peeta's dad already? No way, that was too soon; as far as she knew, they hadn't seen each other since the recital because they were so busy.

Still, she walked in cautiously, just in case they were fucking on the couch or something. When she heard laughter in the kitchen, she relaxed and headed in that direction. She found her mother and Mr. Mellark sitting at the kitchen island, talking. This was certainly an interesting development. They looked up when they heard her enter.

"Oh, hey, honey," her mother greeted with a smile. Mr. Mellark smiled at her, as well.

"Hey," Katniss returned, fluctuating between suspicion and excitement that he was there in their house. This was a step forward, she was sure, but she was wary that it was happening without either her or Peeta's involvement. "Did I miss a dinner thing?" she asked skeptically.

"No, not at all, though I did bring some food," Mr. Mellark replied, gesturing to some containers. "You are welcome to have some. I brought it for everybody. I just remember what your mother said about not having many home-cooked meals, and you know I always make too much. So I brought some leftovers."

"Oh. Cool," Katniss said with a shrug, and she moved closer to hover over the leftovers, scooping up a roll. She tore off a piece with her teeth. "Thanks, Mr. M."

"Make yourself a plate, honey," Ms. Everdeen said.

"I just need to go change. I'll be back," Katniss deferred, shoving the rest of the roll into her mouth, then she bounded back into the living room and up the stairs, eager to call Peeta. In her room, she closed her door and shrugged her backpack off, digging through the pocket for her phone. When she found it, she unlocked the screen and called him. He answered on the second ring.

"Yo," he said, and she smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Guess who's at my house right now."

"Ummm—Jon Stewart?"

She wrinkled her nose. "No, and what a random guess."

"I took a shot. I'm watching 'The Daily Show' at the moment—it was the first name that came to mind. Why don't you narrow it down for me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Your dad, idiot."

"Oh—ohhhh," he said, understanding dawning on him. He chuckled. "I was wondering where he got off to after dinner. He didn't mention it!"

"Yeah, they were getting kind of cozy in the kitchen when I got home from work," she replied, flopping down on her bed. "He brought some food over for her."

"Well, that's how you know he likes her," Peeta said.

"Mmhmm," Katnis hummed, twirling the end of her braid around her finger. "So, what are you up to?"

"Oh, I'm just getting ready to go see a movie."

She frowned at that. "A movie? Wait, why didn't you invite me?"

He chuckled. "Ah, it wasn't my plan. I'm going with Delly and some of her friends."

Katniss scowled immediately. "Delly," she repeated flatly, not sure why just her name was enough to agitate her at this point. "Is this a date?"

"No, one doesn't usually go on dates with multiple people at a time," he said calmly. It made her madder. "Hey, I would have invited you, but the last couple of times I've tried to invite you to something with Delly, you turn me down. I figured you'd just say no again."

Her scowl lessened, and she chewed on her bottom lip. "I wanna see a movie," she said stubbornly. He laughed.

"Okay, then come. I don't think it's a big deal. We haven't bought tickets yet or anything, so we've got to head out now. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Yes," she agreed, propelling herself into a sitting position.

"I'll be over shortly then. Say hey to my dad for me."

"Okay, bye," she said, quickly hanging up and shoving her phone into her back pocket. She fished some money out of her backpack and stuffed that into her other pocket, then she checked her reflection in her dresser mirror, attempting to smooth down her flyaways. She briefly considered putting on some mascara or something, then scoffed at the idea. Who was she trying to impress? Checking her reflection one more time, she threw her door open to head back downstairs.

She still needed to eat dinner really quickly.

* * *

Katniss didn't know why she was so annoyed by Delly, but she was. The girl was nice enough, albeit obnoxiously upbeat—but Katniss still found her kind of insufferable. She knew it was irrational, but it probably had something to do with how she couldn't take a hint about Peeta's disinterest in her as anything more than a friend. The bubbly blonde was sitting on his left at the moment, Katniss on his right; the other people she only vaguely recognized from school were on the other side of Delly. Peeta had just sat down after ducking out to make a trip to the concessions stand. The movie had already started, so he didn't say anything when he returned. He just held up the box of Junior Mints he'd bought and shook it in her face.

She smiled at him, nodding her head and holding her hand out while she waited for him to tear open the box. He tipped some into her outstretched palm, and she nudged his arm with her elbow in thanks, popping them into her mouth. She focused her attention back on the film, a B movie that was mildly amusing. She was absorbed in the action minutes later when she caught Delly leaning over to whisper something in Peeta's ear. Katniss tried to watch from the corner of her eye as he nodded, pouring some Junior Mints into her open hand.

Katniss scowled to herself and averted her gaze back to the screen, but when she saw Delly squeeze his knee and let her hand linger there, Katniss craned her neck to stare at him deliberately. His eyes were wide, his lips pursed; he made eye contact with her from the corner of his eye. The lights from the screen reflected off his pink cheeks; he was clearly embarrassed, and she bit back her smile, watching him try to discreetly shake Delly's hand off by wiggling his leg. When that didn't work, he cleared his throat and crossed his ankle over his knee, causing her hand to fall away.

Katniss bit down on her lip and looked away, trying not to laugh. After a moment, she pulled her phone out and sent him a text: _She's persistent._

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he waited a few seconds before he checked it, attempting to do it so Delly wouldn't realize they were texting. He shielded his screen from her view as he read, shooting Katniss a look before he responded.  _I know._

She tapped out another text:  _Why don't you just tell her you don't want to date her?_

_I don't wanna be mean. I wanna be friends with her. And we have classes together. It might get weird._

Katniss rolled her eyes.  _You can't be friends if she's still thinking she'll get to suck your dick someday._

When he got her text, he snorted and quickly coughed to cover it, nearly spilling the Junior Mints in his lap. He looked at her pointedly then, and she returned his stare, lifting her eyebrows. Peeta shook his head at her then put his phone away, signaling the end of their conversation. She just smiled to herself and put her phone away, too, snatching the box from his hands to grab some more mints.

After the movie—and without further incidence involving Delly—Peeta drove her back home. It was after 11, and they still had school the next day, but they sat in his car talking a little longer, anyway. She'd put her seat back some and propped her feet up on the dashboard. He was twisted in the driver's seat some, facing her, his head leaning against the headrest. She was fidgeting with her hair as they talked, absently unweaving the braid and running the crimped tendrils through her fingers.

"Our parents are getting awfully close," she mused, and he hummed in agreement, drumming his fingers on the console in time with the soft music pumping from his car's stereo.

"I know. We might not even need to do anything after this point."

"Think they would tell us if they started dating?" she asked, turning her head to look at him. He smiled.

"I have no idea. Parents are weird about that kind of stuff." He pressed his lips together, looking pensive. "Not that I've ever dealt with my dad dating, I mean."

She nodded, combing her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, me either, obviously." Their parents might be getting closer without their intervention, but she still felt like they needed one more push. She thought about what they could do next. "You know...there's that Veterans' Day Parade next weekend. Big town event. What if we all go together?" she suggested.

Peeta seemed to be contemplating it, then he nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. There's a concert after, then fireworks...It'll be very romantic," he said, wagging his eyebrows, and she grinned at him.

"If they don't fall in love by then, then I'm afraid it's a lost cause," she sniffed dramatically, hastily replaiting her hair and tying it off. Then she sat up and inclined her seat back up to its normal position. "Okay, I guess I gotta go. Thanks for letting me tag along on your  _date_ ," she cracked with a smirk, and he rolled his eyes.

"I could be getting my dick sucked right now if it weren't for you," he shot back, a teasing lilt to his tone, and she feigned indignation before she leaned over the console to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tightly.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," she said against his shoulder, and he nodded. He smelled like the bakery, an odd mix of cinnamon and dill. She pulled back some, gripping his shoulders. "Oh, yeah, almost forgot," she started; he raised his eyebrows expectantly, and she grinned at him, tapping his cheek. "Tag, you're it."

He groaned loudly, and she laughed as she released him, straightening up. "That was sneaky," he accused, tugging on the hem of her shirt as she twisted around to open the car door.

"Constant vigilance, Mellark!" she reminded him, sliding out and slamming the door behind her. She spun around to wave at him through the window; after he'd returned the gesture and started his car again, she turned back to her house and headed inside. Her mother and sister were asleep, so she moved quietly through the house, used the bathroom and slipped into bed once she'd changed. Shutting her eyes, she settled down into the mattress on her back and waited for sleep to take her.

But it wasn't coming. Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at the moon-lit ceiling. After a moment, she realized her body was thrumming, a dull ache pulsing between her thighs. She sighed. She didn't know where that had come from all of a sudden, but it wasn't unusual; she was a teenager, after all, and full of hormones. With a soft sigh, she rolled onto her stomach, trapping her arm between her body, then she slipped her hand into her panties. The pillow muffled her quiet moan as her fingers slid through her folds; she was surprisingly wet. Hitching her hips up off the mattress some, she moved her fingers to her clitoris and began stroking it slowly.

Katniss squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on the feel of her fingers. Her breathing grew ragged and harsh against her pillow, the pleasure coiling between her thighs as she rubbed more firmly; her hips began rocking in sync with the movements of her hand, and she cried into her pillow when she came a minute later, her muscles fluttering with the contractions of her orgasm. She slumped into the mattress when the ecstasy receded, and she inhaled deeply to calm her racing heart. The scent of her shampoo from her pillowcase filled her nostrils as she took a steadying breath.

And, strangely enough, so did the lingering impression of cinnamon and dill.

* * *

"I'm just saying—I think it's weird that I probably have less body hair than any of you chicks," Finnick said, shaking a fry at them. Katniss and Madge made a face, but Johanna just snorted.

"Do you wanna do a comparison right now?" she challenged, arching her eyebrow as she gestured to herself, but Annie shook her head, blushing furiously.

"He's right," she mumbled. "He shaves  _everything_."

Peeta groaned, covering his face with his hands. "More than I ever wanted to know, dude."

Finnick scoffed at him, popping the fry into his mouth. "I'm a swimmer. Don't tell me you don't shave for wrestling," he said wryly. All the girls' heads swiveled in Peeta's direction then, and he flushed in embarrassment.

"I mean, some, yeah—not everything!" he said defensively. Katniss squinted at him quizzically. She'd seen him in his wrestling outfit, and she'd seen him shirtless and in swim trunks. His chest always looked baby smooth yet exquisitely sculpted, and his body hair was so blonde and fine, it was hard to see most of the time.

But now she was wondering if his junk was shaved, and that was such a bizarre thought, she didn't know what to make of it. She shook her head to unhinge the image and turned back to her lunch—a tuna salad sandwich.

Johanna, who sat on her right side, elbowed her to get her attention. "Hey, so Gale was asking me about you."

Katniss balked at her, blinking stupidly. "Huh?"

Johanna smirked at her slyly. "I think he was kind of taken with you at that party. What did you think of him?"

She felt flustered suddenly, and she stared at her sandwich. "Uhhh, he was—I mean, I guess he was fine. I don't know. Yeah. He's cool. He likes science."

Johanna snickered. "I thought you might like that. He's broody. You're broody. I think it could work."

Katniss furrowed her eyebrows at her. "Work? What do you mean?" she asked. Johanna rolled her eyes.

"God, sometimes I'm convinced you might be the densest person alive, Everdeen," she groaned in exaggeration. "I mean—can I give him your number? He wants to talk to you."

Her entire face flamed with heat, and she could feel everyone's eyes on her. Especially Peeta's. What was he thinking? She was afraid to look, and that made her feel even more agitated—why did she feel like she needed his approval to date somebody?

"Ummm, I...yeah, I guess—okay, that's fine," she stammered, nervously tucking some hair behind her ear. Finnick whistled loudly then.

"You're such a fox, Everdeen," he teased. "Snagging a college guy. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Fuck you," she snapped, feeling choked by the rush of emotions she suddenly felt, but everyone just laughed.

Except Peeta. He was surprisingly silent, and she risked a glance at him. He was eating quietly, but when he sensed her look, he met her gaze and flashed her a tight smile. Then he just went back to eating, not even cracking a joke at her expense.

Which was even weirder and more confusing.


	5. Chapter 4

Katniss lay on her bed, tossing one of Buttercup's balls into the air. Their family cat was a nuisance; he was lazy and hostile toward anyone who wasn't Prim, and he was only tolerable when he was being fed. Katniss didn't know why Prim insisted on buying him more toys. He never played with them. For fuck's sake, Katniss played with them more than the cat did.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you were a cat in another lifetime," Peeta mused from his spot below her. His voice startled her—he hadn't spoken for a while—and she missed catching the ball when it arced back down, bouncing off her face. He laughed, and she scowled, rolling onto her side to look at him. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her bedroom, his books and homework spread out around him. He always had a lot of work to do. Her classes were relatively easier, and she'd already finished her nightly assignments. Peeta had come over to work on their AP Biology homework with her; they'd finished that first, but he'd stayed to work on the rest of his class assignments. She didn't mind.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you're actually a Golden Retriever in  _this_  lifetime," she replied, folding her arm under her head. He pouted at her.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, then he whimpered to imitate a dog. She buried her face in the crook of her elbow to muffle her laugh, and he grinned, turning back to his work. He was such a puppy sometimes, though not nearly as annoying. Keeping her face tucked into her arm, she studied him quietly. His expression was intense as he read, his brow furrowed slightly. The pink tip of his tongue was pressed between his teeth in concentration, darting out occasionally to wet his lips. From her spot, she could make out the smattering of freckles on his nose, the length of his eyelashes—they were longer than any girl's she'd ever seen. She was kind of jealous. But oddly mesmerized.

A text alert from her phone drew her from her reverie, and she picked it up off her nightstand. Her stomach swooped when she saw the name. Gale. They'd been texting sporadically the last couple of days since Johanna had given him her number. She still didn't know what to make of the situation. It was strange. She hadn't been pursued by a guy in years; she didn't really know how to act or even really how she felt about him. But she guessed it was worth a try. He was nice to talk to, at least.

She texted him back to answer his inquiry about what she was up to, telling him she was just doing homework; she added as an afterthought,  _What about you?_  When she sat her phone back down, she found Peeta looking at her quizzically.

"Who was that?" he asked, twirling his pencil between his fingers. She flushed slightly.

"Umm, just Gale."

His eyebrow twitched. "Gale, huh?" he repeated nonchalantly, directing his attention back to his textbook. "What does he want?"

She shrugged. "Just saying hey," she mumbled. Her phone pinged again, so she picked it up and read his response:  _What hw?_

She debated what to tell him, as she wasn't currently  _actually_  working on anything. She finally just settled on, _I was working on AP Bio._

"So, are you two just friends, or what's the deal?" Peeta asked, still reading his textbook. She didn't know why, but her stomach knotted suddenly.

"Friends, I guess," she replied, pushing up on her elbow. "Pretty sure I would have mentioned something to you if I'd started dating somebody." His expression was impassive, and he nodded.

"But he wants more, right?"

Katniss frowned. "I don't know. He hasn't asked for more."

Peeta made a sound in the back of his throat, nodding his head again. Finally, he added, "Well, just be careful."

She blinked at him. "What?" she asked, sitting up fully on her bed. He sighed, shutting his book.

"I mean, be careful. He's 18, Katniss. He might expect certain things from you, or he might just be looking to take advantage of a high school girl."

She gawked at him silently for a moment before her brain caught up to her mouth. "Are you kidding me right now, Peeta? Don't be so fucking patronizing!" she snapped, throwing her pillow at him. His arm blocked it, but he gaped at her incredulously. "I can take care of myself. I'm not an idiot. And he's been nothing but nice to me! You don't know him, so I can't believe how judgmental you're being."

Like he was one to talk. He was a 16-year-old high school boy. She knew he'd had sex before. Why did people even date in high school other than to fuck, really? They were all just a trembling mess of hormones ready to explode all over each other.

His jaw tightened, and he rolled his eyes, gathering his books and notebooks. "I'm not being judgmental—I just know a lot of low-lifes, our age and older, and all they talk about is banging chicks. I'm just being practical."

She glowered at him. "I thought you said not every guy wants to fuck every girl they meet," she spat, but he didn't respond to that, stuffing his books into his backpack. She frowned as she watched him pack up. Why was he leaving all of a sudden? Her phone pinged again, but she ignored it, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't understand why you're acting so weird right now. Are you jealous or something?"

She regretted the words the second they left her mouth. Peeta zipped his bag with such force, the sound ripped through her room. Exhaling loudly, he stood up and threw his arms through the straps, then he ran his hand through his hair. "No," he said finally, his voice quiet, but he wasn't looking at her. "I just remember the last time you started hanging out with guys like him, okay?"

She fell silent at that, unsure how to respond. He didn't move from his spot though, waiting for her to say something. Anger and nerves still twisted in her stomach, and she pressed her mouth into a thin line, shaking her head. "Gale isn't like those guys.  _I'm_  not like that anymore. And I can't believe you don't trust me," she said tightly, hurt that he could think she would abandon him again. She was miserable without him. Why didn't he understand that?

Peeta sighed again. "It's not that. I'm sorry. I do trust you. I don't know—I'm overreacting, I know. Sorry," he said haltingly. They fell silent again, Katniss digging her toes into the carpet. "I'm sure Gale's cool," he offered after a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. The next thing he said, however, threw her completely. "Delly asked me out on a date this Friday. I think I'm gonna go."

Her jaw dropped. "What?!" He shrugged, and she shook her head, trying to comprehend. "You said you don't even like her! Why would you go on a date with her?!"

"She's nice. And I guess she's cute," he replied, staring at her bedroom wall. "I told her I needed to think about it. I don't know. Maybe I do have a type. Maybe you're right. But she's not it, not really. And my type hasn't really worked out so far, so I thought I should at least give her a shot. That seemed fair."

She couldn't believe him. He was acting like a complete idiot. "You know, Peeta, for someone so smart, you sure are stupid sometimes," she said. He glared at her.

"How is that stupid?"

"Because you  _know_  how much she likes you, but you  _know_  you don't actually like her—and you  _never_  will—so you're just going to break her heart!" she yelled, gesturing wildly. Her phone beeped again, but she didn't care. Gale could wait.

Peeta huffed angrily. "Now who's being patronizing?" he said icily, and she clamped her mouth shut. But just like that, Peeta deflated, and he held his hands up. "Look, I don't want to fight with you. We're being stupid, and I think I'm just stressed out with all this school shit I've gotta do, so I'm just gonna go." He moved toward the door and glanced at her over his shoulder. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"

She didn't respond, so he slipped out the door, shutting it quietly behind him. Annoyance surged through her then, and she snatched the cat ball off the floor, hurling it at the door furiously.

What a fucking jerk.

* * *

Because it was impossible to stay mad at him, she and Peeta made up almost immediately the next day at school during lunch. Things were a little tense at first, but then he'd pulled a few petits fours out of his lunch bag that he'd procured from the bakery and slid them to her—and how could she possibly stay angry after that? She'd devoured them all in record timing, and they were back to their usual ease.

They didn't talk about Delly or Gale again, though. She had no idea if he was still planning to go through with his date with her, and though it was all she could think about Friday night, wondering if he was out with her somewhere, she refrained from texting or calling him. Instead, she lost herself in a book while she worked, then she went to Madge's house afterward to hang out with her friend. She and Peeta were going to the Veteran's Day parade the next day with their families, so she guessed she would find out how his date went then.

She wasn't sure she really wanted to know, though.

She tried to act normal when she saw him the next day; she, her mother and Prim met up with Peeta and his dad for the late morning parade. He smiled and hugged her when she approached him, and she bit her tongue to stop any questions from spilling forth. They stood on the sidewalk that lined the street where the parade was taking place. Prim couldn't see over the people in front of them, so Peeta had hoisted her onto his shoulders. Katniss couldn't see much either, so she had to stretch up on her toes to peer over all the heads. Finally, when her feet started to cramp, she gave up, deciding she didn't really care that much about the cars and floats, and she pulled out her phone to occupy her attention.

After a moment, Peeta nudged her side. "That's pretty disrespectful to our veterans, Katniss," he scolded, but he was smiling when she peered up at him. She rolled her eyes.

"Then they should have put in bleachers or something. I can't see shit," she complained, scrolling through Facebook. "Describe what you see to me."

He groaned in protest but relented, grasping Prim's ankles. "Okay, fine. Well, this next car is full of old men waving. And the car after that. And, oh, the car after that. I think there's a float of beauty queens next, though, and then a marching band. You're really missing out here."

Smiling to herself, Katniss pocketed her phone and looked across him at their parents. They weren't watching the parade either but were talking and laughing instead. Katniss tapped Peeta's arm and pointed at Mr. Mellark and Ms. Everdeen; he looked and then flashed her a grin, but Prim squealed before he could respond.

"Oh, look! That's Marnie in the band—she's a grade ahead of me, but we were friends in middle school," she exclaimed, waving excitedly at a girl playing the tuba as she passed.

"Whoa," Peeta muttered, grabbing her knees when she nearly tipped backward. Katniss chuckled quietly, then she yawned, covering her mouth. She hadn't slept very well the night before. Wrapping her arm around his back, she leaned into him and rested her head against his shoulder. "Help, I'm being smothered by Everdeen girls," he joked, and she grinned, biting his arm through his shirt.

"You like it."

He laughed and tried to shrug despite the weight of Prim on his shoulders. "I guess there could be worse ways to go."

After the parade, there was an all-day concert, so they made their way to the pavillion. Mr. Mellark had brought a blanket for them to sit on; they picked a spot on the grass where they could see the stage clearly, and he spread the blanket out. As soon as they settled in, Prim immediately spotted Rue and begged her mom to let her go sit with her.

"That's fine, Prim, but please check in periodically so I know you're fine," she stressed, and Prim nodded before dashing away.

"Should we go and bring back food?" Peeta offered before he and Katniss could sit down. His dad nodded, pulling out his wallet to give him some cash.

"Sure, I'm not picky. Make sure you pick up something for Katniss and Florence."

Ms. Everdeen objected immediately, "Oh, no, you don't have to do that, Faren—I've got some money on me—"

"Nonsense," he told her with a smile, waving off her concerns. "It's my treat."

Katniss tugged on Peeta's arm, trying to leave before her mother could argue any more. "We'll be back," she called over her shoulder as she dragged him away.

"Slow down, hoss," Peeta said, shaking her hand off, but then he clasped it in his and forced her to walk at his slower pace. "If you want to give them some alone time, then we should take our time getting food."

She nodded and fell in step with him, swinging their hands between them as they walked. "So, let's check out all the booths first then," she suggested, and he agreed. Half an hour later, they were still perusing the vendors, and Katniss was debating internally whether she should ask him about his date with Delly. She didn't want to, but the thought was weighing on her so heavily, she wasn't sure she'd be able to relax until she knew.

So she decided to just spit it out.

"How did your date go last night?" she asked as nonchalantly as possible, but her voice sounded high-pitched and screechy to her ears, and she grimaced. Peeta fell silent, scratching his nose, then he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I, ah, didn't go," he said simply, squinting in the afternoon sun.

That surprised her. It was a pleasant sort of surprise, but she hadn't been expecting that response for some reason. She turned her wide eyes on him as they walked. "What? Why not? I mean...you seemed pretty set on it."

He shrugged, still not looking at her. "I don't know. You were right; I don't like her in that way, and it would have been shitty of me to lead her on knowing this. So I just told her I wanted to be friends."

"Oh." Katniss struggled with something more to say, tugging on the long sleeves of her shirt that overlapped her wrists. "Well...how did she take it?" she pressed.

"Fine, I think. I mean...she seemed a little hurt, but she didn't cry or get angry. So, I think we'll be fine," he replied, gesturing toward a food vendor. She followed him in that direction, still digesting his words.

There was such a light feeling in her chest, she was almost giddy. She didn't know how to process her feelings, though, so she defaulted to her usual coping mechanism when it came to Peeta: humor. "You know what this means, right?" she said, failing to stifle the smile that spread across her face. He looked over at her, his brow creased.

"What?"

She let the grin take over. "I'm always right, and you should always listen to me."

He scoffed incredulously and then laughed, shaking his head. "Right. Why did I ever doubt you?" he asked facetiously, and she shrugged, bumping his arm with hers.

"You should know better by now, Mellark," she teased, joining the line for food with him.

They returned to their parents a few minutes later with hot dogs and drinks. Mr. Mellark and Ms. Everdeen were laughing about something, and she had a hand on his arm; Peeta and Katniss shared a look as they approached, but when they got closer, the pair separated. Ms. Everdeen looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"That sure took a long time just for some hot dogs," she said, and Katniss shrugged.

"Do you want us to go back and get something else?" she asked, handing her mother a drink and one of the hot dogs she was holding. Peeta gave his father his food and the leftover change.

"No, we're starving!" Ms. Everdeen replied, biting into the hot dog eagerly. Katniss was pretty sure she got her appetite from her mother.

"Thanks, son," Mr. Mellark said with an easy smile. Peeta plopped down on the blanket and helped Katniss down beside him.

"So, what was so funny?" Peeta asked, taking a large bite of his hot dog. Ms. Everdeen waved a hand dismissively, swallowing her mouthful.

"Oh, your dad was reminding me of this practical joke we pulled with our high school friends on the first day of senior year," she said. "We TP'ed the entire parking lot the night before, but one of our friends dropped his wallet at the scene, so we got caught."

"Wow, you rebel, you," Katniss quipped, her mouth full.

"Hey, in our day, that was a pretty big deal," Mr. Mellark said proudly.

Peeta sipped his drink and shook his head. "I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore," he rebuked with mock scorn, and his dad and Ms. Everdeen laughed. The conversation shifted gradually from their high school days to how Peeta and Katniss were doing in all their classes. Eventually, their parents dissolved into their own conversation again, leaving their kids to occupy themselves.

Katniss was stretched out on the blanket next to Peeta, who was reclining on his back. They were listening appreciatively to the band currently playing, but the sun was in her eyes, so she had to flip onto her side so she wasn't staring up into the sky, resting her head on her arm. After a while, however, she felt the sensation of pins and needles prickling her limb, and she groaned, sitting up to shake it out.

"Ugh, my arm fell asleep. I can't get comfortable," she complained, rubbing feeling back into her arm. Peeta cracked one eye open to look at her, his arms folded behind his head.

"Well, just lay your head on my chest then," he suggested.

She halted, eyeing him warily. "Are you sure?" She looked around them; their parents had their backs to them, watching the stage. Prim had wandered back over to ask their mother for some money.

"Yeah, come here," Peeta said, grabbing her attention again. He held his arm out so she could curl up against his side. Once she was comfortable, she rested her head on his chest, placing her ear over his heart. The beat was strong and steady. "Better?"

She nodded, flattening her hand on his chest as well. "Thanks," she whispered, listening to his heartbeat thump in her ear.

"Yep," he replied, his voice reverberating in his sternum and her cheek. After a moment, he placed his hand on her head and began combing his fingers through her hair, starting from her scalp. Her heart palpitated strangely, and she flexed her fingers in his shirt. When she felt light tugs on her hair, she frowned in consternation.

"What are you doing?" she asked into his shirt. He chuckled, his chest rumbling.

"Trying to braid your hair with one hand, but I think I'm just making knots," he said. "Is it bothering you?"

"No," she said softly, her eyes fluttering closed when he tugged again. It felt impossibly good, if she was being honest. So she didn't stop him, and eventually she drifted off to sleep with him still playing with her hair.

When she awoke sometime later, she was aware of a brief, delicious feeling that was inexplicably tied to Peeta. She clung to it for a few minutes, unwilling to open her eyes, and she sighed, burrowing further into the warm, solid body beneath her. Her hand twitched, her palm burning with heat; it slowly dawned on her that it was warmth radiating from Peeta's skin. Somehow, she had slipped her hand under his shirt while she was sleeping and pressed it against his stomach.

Her eyes snapped open, and she tried to stealthily remove her hand before he could notice, but she already felt him stirring. Still, she jerked her hand away, embarrassment flooding her cheeks. Peeta groaned softly, as if he were just waking up himself. "Shit," he murmured sleepily.

"What?" she croaked, hastily pushing herself up into a sitting position to look at him. He shook his head, sitting up on his elbows.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," he said. He blinked and looked around, confused. It was dark out now, and the concert had ended; Katniss wasn't sure how long they'd been asleep. She looked for her parents but only found Mr. Mellark.

"Where'd my mom go?" she asked, and he startled, turning around.

"Oh, Prim wanted something to eat, so she took her to find something," he answered, giving them a strange look. She didn't know what to make of that look, but she found it hard to hold his gaze, smoothing down her hair. Her fingers caught on some of the braids Peeta had been attempting, and she carefully worked them loose. "I'm surprised you two slept so long. The show got kind of loud at one point. The fireworks should be starting soon, too."

Katniss didn't know what to say, but luckily Peeta spoke for them. "Yeah, guess I was more tired than I thought," he said, and she glanced back at him as he sat up fully beside her, rubbing his face. When he caught her staring, his hands stilled, but then he chuckled gruffly. She frowned.

"What?"

"Your face, it's just got all these indentations from my shirt," he pointed out, reaching up to drag his thumb across her cheek like he was rubbing out the creases, but she swatted his hand away, blushing.

Thankfully, her mother and Prim returned then. Her sister was waving around a giant cotton candy cone, and Ms. Everdeen was balancing two funnel cakes in her hands. "Oh, good, you're awake. I thought you might be hungry," she said, handing Katniss one of the funnel cakes. Katniss was momentarily distracted as she took the plate eagerly, placing it in her lap, and she dug in immediately, tearing off a chunk as her mother and sister sat down on the blanket.

Peeta bumped her shoulder. "I get some, too, right?"

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I guess I can share," she relented, swirling the piece into some chocolate syrup and popping it into her mouth.

He grinned and ripped off a piece for himself. They ate quietly for a moment, Katniss unsure what to say. She was still disoriented from her nap; that was probably it. She just needed a few minutes for her brain to catch up with her waking state.

The first firework spooked her, and she nearly flipped the plate over, but Peeta steadied her hand with a laugh. She scowled at him, but he just palmed the side of her head and pulled her toward him to press a kiss to the crown of her hair. She stared at him when he released her, but he turned his head to watch the fireworks, leaning back on his hands. Was he being more affectionate than usual, or had he always been this way and she was just noticing it more now because she was overly aware of their intimacy, thanks to Johanna? She wasn't sure. Silently, she watched the multicolor lights reflect off his face, his blue eyes shattering into a million sparks with every explosion.

She finally forced her eyes away, bringing her gaze to their parents in front of them. She was surprised to find them leaning into each other, Mr. Mellark's arm wrapped around her mother's shoulders.

Wow. She was kind of dumbfounded, though she wasn't sure why—shouldn't she be excited? This was what she had wanted. What she  _and_  Peeta had wanted.

At the thought of him, she glanced at him, but he seemed oblivious to their parents at the moment, so she turned her attention back to the fireworks. She decided not to point the gesture out to him this time.

And she didn't know why.

* * *

Katniss was studying for a test in her room when her mother found her Tuesday night. She knocked on the door to announce her presence, and Katniss looked up from her desk where she was poring over her notes.

"Do you have a moment?" Ms. Everdeen asked, and Katniss nodded, spinning her chair around. Her mother sat down on her bed. She was in her scrubs, as she was about to head to the hospital. "Can you watch Prim Wednesday night, make sure she eats dinner and everything?"

Katniss wanted to point out that she already did that most nights but held her retort. Instead, she frowned thoughtfully. "Sure. I don't have to be at the theater that night. Why do you ask, though? Work?"

Her mother smiled slightly but hesitated. "No, I work in the morning. No, I...Faren and I are going to get dinner that night." She paused before unnecessarily adding, "Together."

For some reason, Katniss had not been expecting that. Her jaw went slack. "Oh," she said dumbly. That was fast. Right? She felt like that was fast; she hadn't expected them to hit it off so well, so quickly. She'd thought she and Peeta would have to do a lot more reconnaissance work to hook them up. "Oh," she repeated.

Her mother looked worried. "Are you—are you okay with this? I know this will probably be hard for you girls—I'm not sure if I should tell Prim yet or not, not until I know whether—well, not yet, at least," she rambled. "How do you feel about this? I haven't dated since your father passed, obviously. I just wanted to know how you felt first."

Katniss wasn't actually sure, now that she was faced with the very real truth of them dating. She just felt confused, and there was a weird sinking sensation in her gut. She didn't know how to process the information.

But she didn't want to discourage her mother; this was the plan, after all. She licked her dry lips and forced a tight smile, lifting her shoulder indifferently. "Yeah, I'm fine with it. Mr. M is cool. That's cool."

Her mother looked relieved, and her smile widened. "Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure. But...well, it's not a big deal yet. If you start to feel uncomfortable about any of it, please let me know. I want to be able to talk to you about this, if you feel the need to."

But Katniss just shrugged again. "I'm fine. I swear. I hope you guys have fun at dinner," she said evenly.

Ms. Everdeen stood up. "Okay, well, I need to get to work now, but I might see you in the morning before you go to school," she said, crossing over to her to kiss her forehead. "Good luck with studying."

"Thanks. See you later," Katniss replied, watching her mother walk out of her room. She didn't move for a moment as she thought. Then she pushed out of her desk chair and covered the distance to her nightstand, picking her phone up. She started to call Peeta, but her thumb hovered over the "Call" button, unwilling to push. For some reason, she couldn't do it.

Instead, she scrolled through her text messages and pulled up a different contact entirely. Gale. She nearly changed her mind again but forced herself to send the text:  _What are you up to?_

She sat down on her bed to wait, but his response was almost immediate:  _Nm. You?_

_Just studying._  She chewed her lip, raging an internal debate, but her fingers were already moving. _Do you wanna hang out sometime?_  She held her breath, anxiously anticipating his answer. When she got it, she sighed—in relief or from dread, she wasn't entirely sure.

_Absolutely :) When?_


	6. Chapter 5

"Well, uh, thanks for going to the park with me," Katniss said as Gale pulled up to her house, nervously twisting her braid around her fingers. He put his car in park, letting it idle, and she sighed inwardly in relief, glad he didn't seem to expect to be invited inside.

"Yeah, I had fun," he told her, smiling. He ran a hand through his hair. "I haven't been to a park in ages."

She nodded not because she agreed but for lack of a better response; she didn't want to tell him going to the park with Peeta when they were younger used to be one of her favorite things to do. She felt kind of bad taking Gale to  _their_  park, but she didn't know where else to hang out with him. Certainly not at her house or his apartment, lest he think she anticipated sex, and going to a restaurant or to see a movie seemed too date-y still. Right now, they were just hanging out. She was still trying to get a feel for him.

"I'm gonna go then," she blurted, and he nodded. He looked at her expectantly, and she couldn't tell if he was waiting for a kiss or what, so she hurriedly leaned over to hug him before he could make a move. Then she quickly let go, turning to get out of the car.

"Talk to you later?" he called after her, and she could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Yeah. Bye," she said as she slipped out the door, closing it behind her and heaving a sigh of relief. He waved at her through the window, and then he drove off. Katniss strode up the driveway to her house; her mother was at work, and her sister was at a dance rehearsal, so she knew she was on her own for the night. Once inside, she made herself a bowl of cereal and headed upstairs to her room. These days she half-expected Peeta to appear and scare the shit out of her, but he was keeping a low-profile lately. Probably because he was kind of miffed at her for hanging out with Gale.

She didn't really understand why, as she'd tried to reassure him it didn't mean she was going to hang out with _him_  any less, but Peeta didn't seem to believe her. He never voiced any of this, but after a 10-year friendship, she could read him well enough to know when he was being kind of cold toward her, even when it wasn't overt. She could just tell; their interactions weren't as easy-going now, more tense. Something had shifted, and she could only assume it had to deal with Gale.

Which was completely frustrating to her. Peeta got to date girls all the time, and while she might not have liked any of them, she hadn't let it affect their friendship the way he did. He was being entirely unfair. And she wanted to tell him this, but she worried she would just drive him further away. She couldn't do that, not now when their parents were finally,  _actually_  dating.

It was almost Thanksgiving, and Mr. Mellark and Ms. Everdeen had started seeing a lot of each other in the last couple of weeks, when their hectic schedules allowed. It was good. It was a good thing, Katniss repeatedly reminded herself. She and Peeta would get over this bump in their friendship, as they had in the past, and things would be smooth-sailing again.

Sitting down at her desk, she dug into her bowl of Raisin Bran while she waited for her laptop to boot up. Then she opened up a browser and logged into her Gmail to check her emails. When she saw that Peeta was on Gchat, she messaged him immediately—whether things were weird or not, she couldn't  _not_  talk to him.

**Katniss:**  hey  
 _Sent at 8:34 PM on Thursday_  
 **Peeta:**  Hey  
Back from your date  
?

Except the problem with talking online was that she couldn't read his tone. She ate a spoonful of cereal before she replied, deliberating as she stared at his words.

**Katniss:**  it wasn't a date  
 **Peeta:**  Ah  
 **Katniss:**  we're just hanging out  
 _Sent at 8:38 PM on Thursday_  
 **Peeta:**  Ok

Ugh. The dreaded "Ok." She wanted to reach through the screen and shake him. She momentarily debated just driving over to his place to talk to him instead of this online messaging nonsense, but it was late. And she hadn't done anything wrong, so she wasn't about to show up at his house and act like she had.

**Katniss:**  what are you up to?  
 _Sent at 8:41 PM on Thursday_  
 **Peeta:**  Just doing homework  
 **Katniss:**  of course :)  
you're so predictable

She finished eating the rest of her cereal while she waited for him to respond; it was taking an unusual amount of time. She expected him to volley back with his own humorous retort, like he always did, but now she was wondering if she had unintentionally offended him.

**Peeta:**  Well I had an essay to finish up  
and I have a huge test tomorrow, so  
actually, I'm about to head over to Finnick's  
He wants to study together for it  
I'll talk to you later  
 _Peeta is offline_

She stared at her screen in disbelief after he signed off, not even giving her a chance to respond. What the fuck was his deal? Fuming silently, she signed off as well and went back downstairs to deposit her dirty dishes and watch TV to try to distract herself from Peeta's odd behavior. It didn't really help.

When she was getting ready for bed, she finally received a text from him. Slipping under the covers, she pulled her phone off the nightstand to read it.  _Hey sorry for signing off so abruptly earlier. I was just in a hurry._

She chewed her lip, then responded.  _Yeah rude much?_

_I know. I'm sorry._

Well, at least he felt contrite. She sighed softly; she couldn't really stay mad at him for long.  _It's okay. I'm about to go to bed though._

_Ok see you tomorrow. Good night :)_

She couldn't fight the smile.  _Night punk :)_  Setting her phone aside, she settled down into her pillows and closed her eyes. At least, now she could rest easier.

* * *

It was the day before Thanksgiving break, and Peeta was nowhere to be found. It wasn't unusual for him to turn up late for lunch as he often met with teachers before heading to the cafeteria. But 10 minutes had already passed, and Katniss was getting annoyed.

"Where the hell is Peeta?" she wondered out loud as she pulled out her phone to text him; the girls shrugged, but Finnick glanced at her in surprise.

"He didn't tell you?"

She stared at him, perplexed. "Tell me what?"

Finnick's face fell. "Oh, uh. He wasn't in class this morning, so I texted him. Apparently, his mom showed up last night."

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head, and she slammed her phone down loudly. "What?" she gasped. "What is she doing here?!"

He shrugged, his face twisted in concern. "I don't know. He didn't really want to talk about what happened, so I left him alone."

Katniss stood up to leave, balling up her unfinished food and grabbing her phone and backpack. "Why didn't you say something sooner, Finn?!" she nearly screeched. His eyes widened.

"Whoa, I figured you knew!" he answered, but she was already turning away. Johanna called after her.

"Yo, Everdeen, what about English?"

"I don't care, tell 'em I'm on my period or something," she yelled back, not caring how much her voice carried through the cafeteria or the number of eyes that followed her. She tossed her lunch in a trashcan on her way out, and when she reached the hallway, she started running. She didn't stop until she reached her car in the parking lot, and she threw her door open, stashing her bag in the passenger seat as she slid into the driver's side. As she started her car, she tried calling Peeta, but he didn't pick up. Frustrated, she dropped her phone by her backpack and sped out of the parking lot. She wasn't even worried about being pulled, so wrapped up in her worries for her friend.

When she pulled up to his house 15 minutes later, she almost expected to see his mother's car in the driveway, but all she saw was Peeta's. Considering the time of day, his dad had to be at the bakery. Throwing her car into park, she jumped out and rushed up to the front door; she unlocked it with her spare key and slipped inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Peeta?" she called. No answer. She didn't waste any time and headed upstairs, taking them two at a time. His bedroom door was shut, and she knocked only briefly before she opened it, peeking her head inside. "Peeta?"

He was lying on his stomach on top of his bed, his head and arms shoved under his pillow. He was dressed as if he'd made an attempt to get ready for school but hadn't quite made it out the door. He didn't respond, but she knew he was awake.

Shutting the door softly, she crossed to his bed. "Peeta," she tried again, gentler this time. She thought she heard a noise of response, so she knelt down on his bed and crawled over him, flattening herself along his back. She pressed her cheek between his shoulder blades and hooked her arms under his to hug him. She slipped one leg between his; the other rested against the outside of his thigh. "Finnick told me about your mom. What happened?" she whispered, her voice soft.

It took him a minute, but he finally shifted, moving the pillow some so he could talk. "My mom showed up last night. Guess she found out about my dad and your mom somehow," he said quietly, and Katniss winced. Great. "I don't know. I guess my dad talked to her recently. Apparently, she wanted to see me for Thanksgiving. Why now, I have no fucking idea. But when she found out about your mom, she flipped her shit. Drove all the way here last night. I didn't even know she was planning to show up. I was shocked. I haven't even seen her since..." He stopped himself and sighed. "They got into a huge fight, and she was screaming at us until he finally threatened to call the cops. I don't know. It was a mess. I got upset. I didn't know how to deal with it."

Katniss squeezed him tighter, closing her eyes. Her hatred for this woman burned hot, but she stuffed it down for his sake. He needed comfort, not her rage. "I'm sorry," she breathed out, freeing one hand to rub his arm soothingly. He just shrugged. "Did she leave town completely?"

"As far as I know." He fell silent for a moment, and she just listened to him breathe. His back rose and fell with his breaths, expanding against her chest. He spoke again a moment later, his voice bitter, "She had to pull this shit right before Thanksgiving, too. I think Dad might have canceled tomorrow."

Her eyes snapped open. "Shit," she murmured. Their families were supposed to have a Thanksgiving feast together at the Mellarks. "Did he talk to my mom?" Peeta nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. I think he told her about my mom, too. I overheard him on the phone. I don't know, I think he might have broken it off with her," he said quietly. Katniss inhaled sharply.

"Double shit."

"Yeah."

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, she decided to focus on the problem at hand. She could worry about their parents later. "I'm sorry, Peeta," she murmured, squeezing his shoulder. "I know it doesn't help, but your mother's a bitch, and none of this is your fault. I hope you know that."

Something like a snort stuck in his throat, but he just shrugged. She lifted her head, resting her chin on his back. "I'm serious," she continued, her tone more authoritative. "You're perfect. You know that, right?" He started to shake his head, but she cut him off sternly, "Shut up. We agreed that I'm always right, and you should always listen to me. Remember?"

That time, he laughed weakly. "I remember."

She smiled slightly. "Your mom is the one with issues. You couldn't be a better person if you tried; she's the one missing out on knowing you and spending time with you. I know it's hard to see now, but you're better off without her."

He sighed heavily. "I guess," he relented unconvincingly. She pressed her mouth between his shoulder blades, the cotton material of his shirt soft against her lips. She knew it was virtually impossible to convince him of his own self-worth. All she could offer him was physical affection; sometimes, that was what he needed most. So she just held him, waiting for him to speak next.

After a few minutes, he stirred. "Sorry I didn't tell you. But I knew you'd come over like this, and I didn't want you to worry unnecessarily and miss class."

She frowned. "It's not unnecessary. I'm always going to worry about you, Peeta. I want you to be happy."

He sighed. "I know. I'll be fine. I promise."

"What can I do to help?"

He shook his head. "You don't have to do anything. This is fine." He made to roll over, and she lifted herself up so he could shift onto his back, pulling his head out from underneath his pillow to rest on top of it. When she got a look at his face, her heart broke. His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, like he'd been crying earlier.

She jutted her bottom lip out pathetically and lay back down on top of him, tucking her head under his chin. She hugged him tightly, as if she could somehow absorb some of his pain, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He took another deep, steadying breath, and they just lay there in that embrace for a while.

"You should probably get back to school," he murmured, though he didn't remove his arms. She shook her head defiantly.

"Nope, staying right here with you."

He sighed. "Katniss."

"Peeta," she returned mockingly, before adding, "It's just English and Biology. You know we're probably just watching another movie in that class. It's the day before break."

He chuckled lowly. "Probably."

"That class is so damn boring without you, anyway," she said, and he made a sound of agreement. They fell quiet again, lulled into a peaceful silence by the sound of their own breathing. She became aware of Peeta stroking her back, his hand palming the back of her head before absently trailing down the length of her braid repeatedly. She shuddered involuntarily and pressed her face to his chest tighter, hoping he didn't notice.

"You know this is why the girls I date are so damn threatened by you, right?" he said, a wry note in his tone. She furrowed her brow at his words.

"What do you mean?" she asked, and he laughed again, squeezing her waist.

"This, Katniss. If I had a girlfriend right now, I don't think she'd be too happy with this arrangement. You drop everything and come running to check on me. You're better to me than any girl I've ever dated."

Frowning, she lifted her head. He was staring up at the ceiling, but when he sensed her stare, he peered down at her. What was he getting at? "You do the same," she said almost accusingly. His face turned serious, and he directed his gaze back to the ceiling, his mouth pursed slightly.

"Yeah," was all he said. She continued to stare at him, trying to read him.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, and his eyes widened, flicking back to her. Then he smiled.

"No, of course not. I like us," he answered honestly, his hand rubbing small circles on the small of her back. Satisfied, Katniss laid her head back down. His gentle ministrations on her back forced her eyes closed again. "Sorry I've been such a dick lately."

Her eyes snapped open at that. She hadn't been expecting that. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything..." she tried to joke, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, right. You would have eventually. I know you."

She moved one of her arms so she could curl her hand under her chin, flexing her fingers around the collar of his shirt. "Any reason why you've been acting like such a dick?" she pressed lightly.

He sighed, but it took a moment for him to respond. "I don't know. Stressed out, I guess. And there's just been so much change lately...guess I never really dealt too well with that." She nodded thoughtfully and left it at that. After another moment, he slid his hands down her waist. "On a lighter note," he started, squeezing her hips lightly. "You're it."

She blinked, her lips parting in astonishment, and her head shot up. "Are you kidding me?" He just laughed, and she huffed, sitting up to glare down at him playfully. "That was fucking dirty, Mellark," she accused, folding her arms over her chest. "Here I am, comforting you like the good friend that I am, and you use the opportunity to tag me!"

He shrugged, his hands slipping down to rest on her thighs. "Constant vigilance, right?" he teased. She tried not to grin, but it was difficult; it was good to see him smiling and looking happy again. Uncrossing her arms, she dropped her hands to rest on his stomach; they ventured to his sides, and he raised his eyebrows. "You know I'm not ticklish, so I don't know why you're bothering."

She knew that. It was highly frustrating. She didn't have many weapons in her arsenal to use against him, unfortunately. Scowling, she leaned forward some and moved her hands toward his neck, sliding them up his chest. "Well, you might not be ticklish everywhere, but I know at least one spot—"

His hands wrapped around her wrists with lightning-fast reflexes, stilling their path, and he pulled her arms out to the sides some, balancing her weight on his hands. He grinned at her. "Don't even try it. I'm a wrestler. I can anticipate every move before you make it."

Katniss pouted, and they just stared each other down while she tried to formulate a plan of attack. Suddenly, he exhaled harshly and released her hands, sitting up abruptly; she lost her balance and had to brace herself against his shoulders. "Ahhh, shit, you shouldn't sit on me like this."

"Huh—" she started to ask as she sat back, but then she felt it: his erection pressing between her thighs. With a soft gasp, she bucked against him involuntarily, a pulse of pleasure reverberating through her core before she pushed off him abruptly, praying he hadn't noticed the movement of her hips. She collapsed on her ass beside him, wide-eyed, and he twisted away from her, swinging his legs off the side of the bed.

"Sorry, you just—sorry," he apologized emphatically, his hands gripping the edge of the bed firmly, but he didn't look back at her.

She was stunned silent, and it took her a moment to process everything. Finally, she opened her mouth, struggling with a response, "I—it's fine. It happens," she breathed, hoping she sounded more unaffected than she felt. And it  _had_  happened before. He was a guy; she'd dealt with his inappropriate boners growing up. She understood that he couldn't really help it. When they were younger, sometimes he'd get hard when they hugged or when he saw her in a bathing suit, no big deal. It was always a little uncomfortable, but she would just crack a joke about it, and they would move on. He got a boner with just the slightest provocation, anyway; seeing Madge or Johanna half-naked did it, too.

But it felt different this time. She hadn't realized she'd been straddling his waist, their groins pressed together. She hadn't felt  _him_  between her own legs before; she hadn't enjoyed it so immensely herself. Before, she hadn't been on the verge of practically dry-humping him.

Her face was hot with embarrassment and arousal, and she was too flustered to say anything else. Peeta eventually cleared his throat and slapped his thighs, rubbing his palms against his jeans. "Well, I guess that means I'm feeling better," he joked nervously, and she laughed weakly, glad he was trying to diffuse the situation. Humor, she knew how to deal with.

"I do what I can," she offered. He rubbed his face and chuckled. She scooted across the mattress until she was sitting on the edge next to him. They avoided looking at each other, and she fidgeted with her braid. Time to change the topic. "Well...I guess we should talk to our parents and try to fix things."

With a deep breath, he nodded, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Yeah, I can talk to my dad."

"I think my mom's home right now, actually," she said, but she hesitated. "Except...she'd be pretty pissed with me if she knew I skipped class, so...I guess I'm stuck here until school ends."

He finally glanced at her, smiling slightly. His face was still red, though. "Guess so. What do you want to do?" he asked.

She knew he meant it innocently, but her face flushed with warmth; she quickly looked away and licked her lips, forcing the titillating thoughts from her mind. "Umm, we could just, I mean, do you want to watch a movie or play a video game? I'm fine with whatever," she rushed out, tugging idly on her braid. He nodded and stood up, offering his hand to help her to her feet, too. His hand was warm, soft yet callused, and she was disheartened when he released her hand almost immediately.

"We can play Smash or Mortal Kombat or something, come on," he suggested, gesturing for her to follow him downstairs. With his back to her, she took the opportunity to compose herself, unnecessarily smoothing her hair and clothes down, then she exited his room right behind him.

* * *

Katniss entered her house quietly, unsure what state she would find her mother, but Ms. Everdeen was in the kitchen, reading a magazine. She looked up when her daughter entered the kitchen and smiled wanly. She looked tired, and the smile didn't quite meet her eyes. "Hi, honey. How was school?" she asked. Katniss shrugged, sliding onto a bar stool opposite her.

"Fine," she replied vaguely, removing her backpack. "I hung out with Peeta a little after school."

Her mother turned her gaze back to her magazine, humming in acknowledgement. Katniss waited a moment before she went for the kill. "He told me about his mother. And his dad."

Ms. Everdeen looked back up, her eyebrows raised. There was guilt in her eyes. "Oh. Well, how is Peeta doing? I'm sure he must be upset."

Katniss nodded. "Yeah, he was. His mother's a bitch," she added, her voice taking on a nasty note. Normally, her mother would reprimand her for her language, even though she disliked Peeta's mom, too. This time, her mouth just twitched, as if she were fighting a smile. Katniss went on, "He seemed in better spirits when I left though. Actually...we're more worried about you and his dad..."

She trailed off, and her mother sighed, closing her magazine. "It's a complicated situation, Katniss—"

"It's not really, though," she interrupted. "His mother doesn't want anything to do with them until it's convenient for her. And she's never liked you—I mean, now I know  _why_ , at least—and she just wanted to stir up shit when she found out about you two."

Ms. Everdeen pinched the bridge of her nose, rubbing it firmly. "I'm aware of how she operates. But I have to respect what Faren wants. It's his family—"

"He just got spooked!" Katniss said fiercely, silencing her mother. She took a deep breath. "Look, it's obvious you two like each other. Things were going well, weren't they? He probably just thinks he's doing you a favor by not getting you mixed up with this mess. But, I mean, you like him, right? And if you want to be with him, then you should. Peeta will make him see reason, I'm sure, and then everything will be fine tomorrow, and we can have Thanksgiving together as planned."

Her mother just looked wary, though. She folded her arms on the kitchen island. "Honey...this is about more than just me and Faren. It's also about you kids. We don't want to do anything that could negatively affect any of you..."

Katniss' brow creased with confusion. "But how could this negatively affect us? I mean, I like Mr. M.; Prim likes him. She's seemed fine with you two dating. I think we've had enough time to deal with dad's death. I don't see what the issue could be."

But her mother wasn't convinced. She stared at her daughter intently, and then she reached a hand toward her, flattening her palm on the counter. "Katniss...are you absolutely  _sure_  you're okay with this?" she asked, and Katniss almost started to laugh because, of course, she was, this was the plan all along, but her mother's next words made her blood run cold. "Because you and Peeta..." She left the sentence hanging, and Katniss felt her stomach bottom out.

Her skin felt clammy all of a sudden, flushed and sweaty and cold all at once. "No," she croaked uneasily and hurried to correct herself, "I mean, yes, I'm okay with this. We're both okay with this. I don't know what you're getting at," she said stubbornly, a note of hysteria pulsing under the dismissiveness she tried to inject into her statement. She didn't give her mother time to elaborate. "Just...I want you to be happy. This is what's best for everybody. So...work it out with him. Call him so we can do our family dinner tomorrow as planned, okay?"

She hopped off her stool and grabbed her bag to head upstairs, not wanting to hear whatever else her mother had to say.

* * *

Things were back on track; her mother and Peeta's father had worked things out, and the Thanksgiving dinner at the Mellarks' was back on.

Except Katniss was decidedly less enthusiastic about it now. In fact, she debated feigning an illness so she could get out of it, but she knew that was ludicrous. They would have been suspicious, and she couldn't deal anymore with people questioning her friendship with Peeta. Because now  _she_  was questioning it, and it freaked her out—terrified her even. To make her question something she'd been so sure of for 10 years, something so intrinsic to who she was as a person—she didn't know how to deal with that. She wanted to hide and shut everyone out, but she couldn't.

So she went to the Mellarks' with her mother and sister and tried to act like everything was fine. Tried to act like watching their parents flirt and touch didn't confuse her, like seeing Peeta didn't make her stomach knot painfully with something she didn't know how to identify.

But she should have known Peeta would see right through her. He cornered her in the kitchen when she went to get a drink, away from their parents and Prim, who were having a grand time talking about her dance classes.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked as he approached her near the fridge, keeping his voice low. Her eyes widened, but she tried to play dumb.

"What do you mean? I'm just thirsty."  _Please, god, just drop it,_  she begged silently.

He scowled slightly. "You know what I mean. You've been acting weird and jumpy all night, and you've been oddly reserved," he said. He looked over his shoulder and then moved closer. "Is this—is this about yesterday?" At her blank stare, he scrubbed a hand through his curls. His cheeks bloomed with color. "Because I'm sorry. It just—that happens sometimes, and I don't want to freak you out—"

She was sure her face purpled exponentially when she realized what he was referring to specifically. "No!" she nearly shouted, and he pulled back, surprised. "No, no, don't—I mean, it's fine!" She couldn't believe he was actually going to _talk_  about it; that moment was the last thing she wanted to talk about.

But Peeta kept going, not quite able to meet her gaze—not that she could meet his, either. "You just—you're acting different, and I feel like it's my fault. I don't want you to think—um, it's not that I'm..." He stopped and took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fuck, I don't know—I don't know what I'm trying to say here."

He was flustered. He was never flustered. She'd never seen him not know the right words to say; it unnerved her. So she deflected, completely. "Peeta, it's nothing—I mean, it's not about you, I swear. It's just—Gale."

He blinked, an indescribable emotion flittering across his face, and then his expression hardened. The change in his face was like a punch to her gut. "Gale," he repeated, and she nodded hesitantly, even though her brain was screaming at her. What was she doing? He inhaled deeply and released it, then he licked his lips and looked around the kitchen. "Okay. What about Gale?"

Fuck, what could she say?  _Just take it back, tell him you're on your period and PMSing and being moody; guys never question that._  That sounded perfect—except her mouth was still spewing stupid shit despite what her brain was trying to tell her. "He just...you know," she flailed miserably, but Peeta just stared at her, waiting. "He wants to date me." That wasn't even true—at least, Gale had never explicitly asked to date her. They hadn't even talked that much in recent days. But she was grasping at straws here.

His throat bobbed with his hard swallow, and he looked away after a moment, running his hand through his hair again, before looking back at her. "Okay. Well. That's...not surprising." Katniss wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging her stomach, as if she could calm the nerves roiling in the pit of her gut. Peeta continued, his voice quiet, "And what do you want?"

The problem was she had no idea.

Or maybe she did, but it wasn't something she was supposed to want.

Her mouth felt dry and her tongue thick, and she tried to swallow. "I don't know," she answered hoarsely, unable to hold his gaze.

He didn't speak for a moment; she could hear his ragged breaths, like he was trying to get them under control. When he finally responded, his voice was so raw, her heart splintered. "Well, you should figure out what is that you want, Katniss," he said lowly, and then he turned on his heel and stalked back into the dining room. She stared after him stupidly, her mouth hanging open.

What the hell did  _that_  mean?


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Recreational drug use (and underage drinking, obviously) ahead.

What _did_ she want?

That question had been plaguing Katniss for days, weeks, nearly, and she was no closer to knowing. She thought she knew. At one time in her life, she did, anyway. She wanted a normal, happy life where her dad was still alive and her parents were blissfully in love and she had a close circle of friends who made her laugh, with Peeta as her best friend by her side. But she couldn't have that, not entirely, and she had finally accepted her father's death. Then she thought she wanted some semblance of that life still with her mother and Peeta's father uniting their families; she and Peeta would be even closer— _more_  than just best friends.

She thought she had wanted that, but now that she was actually getting it, she wasn't sure she wanted it at all.

She had never questioned her relationship with Peeta. Ever. It just was. It was the one constant in her life, and even when she was unwittingly pushing him away, she knew he was the most important person to her, and she knew she cared for him; she knew who he was in her life, and she knew who she was in his.

But that had all been thrown into question now, and she'd never been so confused in her life. Before, when she had a problem, she always turned to Peeta. What was she supposed to do when he  _was_  the problem?

Fuck. How did things get this complicated? Clearly matchmaking was a career field she should forego altogether. She had succeeded with her initial mission, she supposed, but she'd somehow made a mess of everything else.

Katniss didn't do well with complicated; she liked things simple and manageable.

So in true Everdeen fashion, she just didn't deal with it at all.

She acted as normal as possible around Peeta and the others, even when he was less than receptive to her attempts. She didn't know if he was still bothered by Gale or if it was something else now; she kept replaying their conversation from Thanksgiving in her head, but she was at a loss as to what he'd been trying to tell her that moment in the kitchen. He'd never had trouble explaining things to her in the past—so why now?

Whatever it was, he must not have thought it was that important because he hadn't brought it up again. Which was probably for the best because she didn't want to think about that moment in his bedroom more than she already did; it was already an obscene amount, and she knew it was wrong, but she couldn't stop recalling the feel of his hardness pressing between her thighs, the ridge of his fly catching on the cleft of her clitoris through her pants  _just right_ —

Nope. She wasn't going to think about it, especially not right then, not when Peeta was sitting right next to her on her couch. He'd come over to her house with their other friends to hang out. Everyone else was acting fine, but he still seemed more subdued than usual, really only speaking when someone directed something at him. And he would barely look at her, even though she was a foot away from him. It was driving her crazy. She just wanted things to be how they were; she wanted to reach across the space and grab his hand or ruffle his hair and not think twice about it.

"You going to Hawthorne's party, brainless?"

Johanna's question snapped Katniss out of her daze, and she blinked, staring wide-eyed at her. Johanna was grinning at her. She wanted to punch her for bringing Gale up, but it wasn't like her friend had any idea what was going on between her and Peeta. Right? She scratched her nose and discreetly glanced at Peeta; his face revealed nothing, but she could have sworn she felt him tense up.

"Um, yeah, I suppose so. If you guys are going," she answered noncommittally. Gale had invited her to his and his roommate Thom's end-of-semester party; they were celebrating the end of exams. She hadn't given him a direct answer yet. They still talked and had even hung out a couple times in the past couple weeks, but she was beginning to think she was just using him as a distraction. He was cool, but she didn't think she was interested in dating him; still, she couldn't bring herself to just  _tell_  him that, as if she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop or something. At least, he hadn't pushed for anything more.

"Yeah, I'm game," Johanna said with a shrug, chomping into a Twizzler.

"I'm in," Madge chimed in, and Finnick and Annie agreed. Peeta cleared his throat.

"I'm gonna sit this one out," he said. Katniss' head snapped around to look at him. If he sensed her stare, he ignored it.

"What?" she asked, dumbfounded. His eyes finally darted to her before flitting away. He shrugged.

"I've just got a lot of work to do before finals," he replied, his fingers tracing the seam of the couch cushion.

"So does everybody else," she accused; Finnick, Madge and Annie had pretty much all the same classes as him. But Peeta just shrugged again, offering no other response. Why was he doing this? He never skipped out on a party; he always worked hard and got his assignments done early, anyway. "But...who's gonna DD?" she tried; at his sharp look, she realized that was the wrong thing to say, but the hardness in his eyes was gone almost as quickly as it came.

"I can," Annie offered. "I mean, I was going to, anyway."

But Katniss ignored her, her gaze boring into the side of Peeta's head. He finally looked at her, raising his eyebrows. "I'm sure you can just crash at Hawthorne's place," he suggested flippantly. His tone was indifferent, but the words stung. That felt like some sort of jab.

Was that it then? Was he punishing her for this whole Gale thing?

She wasn't even angry now. She was just sad. It was exhausting being at odds with her best friend. "Peeta," she implored; he must have heard something in her voice because he glanced at her warily before looking away again, running a hand through his hair.

"I  _do_  have a lot of school shit I have to do," he repeated, though he sounded remorseful this time, less certain. She kept her eyes on him.

"I want you to come," she said stubbornly, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her heart was throbbing in her neck, and she was well aware that everyone was watching their exchange intently. No doubt they'd picked up on the strain between the two of them by now. She wanted to hide, to draw the shades closed on this private moment, or, more accurately, tell them to fuck off, but she couldn't back down about this.

He sighed after a moment. "Okay, I'll go," he relented wearily, and she released the breath she was holding.

"That's the spirit, Mellark," Finnick cracked, relieving the tension that had settled over the room, and the others laughed airily, resuming their chattering about aimless matters. Katniss and Peeta were still rather quiet after that, and her mind churned with questions and doubts.

He had agreed to go, she reminded herself. That was a step, at least.

* * *

Despite his reluctance to attend the party, Peeta willingly agreed to chauffeur the girls to the party; Finnick and Annie drove separately, as usual. When they arrived, Johanna and Madge practically darted into Gale's apartment. Katniss walked in step with Peeta; she itched to grab his arm, to loop hers through his, much like she would have before, but she worried it would upset him.

If she wanted things to go back to normal, however, she needed to act like they were the same as usual. No more of this walking on eggshells around him bullshit. Summoning her resolve, she hooked her elbow around his and marched toward the door. She kept her chin tipped high, her eyes forward, but she noticed Peeta glance at her from the corner of his eye.

He cleared his throat. "If you end up staying the night here, just let me know so I don't hang around waiting—"

She nearly stumbled on the sidewalk, craning her neck to gawk at him. Then she frowned, pulling him to a halt. "Gale and I aren't dating. I'm not going to spend the night with him. Stop," she said adamantly, but Peeta shrugged.

"Well, you said—"

"Just forget what I said," she huffed, regretting her lie about Gale. "There's nothing going on between us. He and I never—I mean,  _I_  never—ugh, never mind. Let's just go inside and try to have fun, okay?" She was almost pleading by that point, and he nodded, something flashing in his eyes.

"Okay. After you," he said, waving her into the apartment. She took a deep breath to steel herself and then entered the apartment. She found Johanna and Madge talking to Gale near the kitchen; when he spotted her, he nodded his head in greeting and smiled. She froze when he crossed to her and pulled her in for a hug.

"Hey, good to see you," he said; if he noticed how stiff she was in his embrace, he didn't mention it. He released her and then extended his hand to shake Peeta's hand. "Good to see you, too, Mellark."

Katniss looked back at Peeta to see him smile politely in response. "Thanks for the invite, man," he said. Despite her nerves, she was glad to see him slip into the friendliness he always greeted others with, without fail.

"Let me get you all something to drink," Gale offered, waving them into the kitchen.

Good. Katniss was going to need a lot of drinks tonight, she felt.

* * *

She watched Peeta from across the room, chewing anxiously on the rim of her cup. He was talking to some guy she didn't recognize, smiling and laughing. She was glad he was in better spirits, but she wished she was the cause of his good mood; instead, she just seemed to be the reason for his agitation lately. She was debating approaching him and just hugging him like nothing was wrong. If she just acted like things were fine, he couldn't deny her, right? Because then he would be the one acting strange, not her.

She was going to do it. She was just going to do it.

Inhaling deeply, she marched toward him. He didn't notice her approach, so she slipped behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing against his back. He jumped slightly, trying to peer at her over his shoulder. "Katniss—" he said, surprised.

"Hey, what are you up to?" she forced out, feigning cheeriness.

"Uhh, I'm just—talking..." he faltered, confused. The guy in front of him smirked at them and tipped his cup in her direction.

"I'm gonna get another drink. It was nice talking to you, man," he said, already heading in the direction of the kitchen. Peeta threw a muttered "Later" in his direction, and then he pried her arms from his waist and twisted around to face her.

"What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously, and she lifted her eyebrows, ignoring the way her heart raced.

"Just wanted to see what you were up to," she said with a shrug, sipping her beer. She stepped closer to hug him again, but he halted her by grabbing her cup to look into it.

"How much have you had?"

She sighed in frustration, snatching her cup away. "I'm not drunk. This is only my second beer. Why the third-degree, Peeta? Sheesh." This time when she moved to hug him again, he didn't stop her, but his hands settled awkwardly on her shoulders.

"I'm not giving you the third-degree, but you're acting strange right now—"

Katniss frowned. "How is this strange?" she asked into his chest. "We hug all the time. We hold hands. You play with my hair."  _I climb into your bed and lie on top of you,_  she added mentally. "You're more affectionate than I am." She hadn't meant to sound so accusatory or defensive, but now she was embarrassed.

She felt him take a deep breath and release it, but he didn't respond right away. "I know," he finally said, tightening his arms around her shoulders, and she wanted to cry in relief. She kept her face buried against his chest.

"I miss you," she murmured after a moment when she felt it was safe.

"I'm right here," he replied softly, and she shook her head.

"You know what I mean."

She felt his heart speed up beneath her ear, and her stomach clenched in response. "I'm sorry," he offered regretfully. "I'm not really sure what's going on with me..."

She choked back a snort.  _Join the club_ , she thought. She forced a smile and lifted her head to look up at him. "Well, knock it off. I want my best friend back."

He smiled in response, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Okay."

Untangling her arms from his waist, she took a step back. "Good, now that that's settled—" she stopped to drain the rest of her beer. "I need another drink. I'll be right back."

He nodded, and she squeezed his hand before she slipped away toward the kitchen. She was taken aback, however, when she saw Gale and Madge talking. Not just talking— _flirting_. Madge was laughing loudly at something he'd said, her hand resting on his arm, and he was grinning widely at her.

What the hell?

She walked toward them, a skeptical look on her face, but when Gale noticed her, he smiled in greeting like nothing was out of the ordinary. "Hey," he said, directing Madge's attention to Katniss. Her friend's eyes widened at the sight of her, and she smiled nervously.

"Oh, hey, Katniss." She glanced down at her empty cup. "I gotta use the bathroom. This beer is running right through me," she said with a sheepish laugh, and then she slipped around her, disappearing into the living room. Once she'd left, Katniss arched an eyebrow at Gale.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. He blinked.

"What do you mean?"

She scowled slightly. "You were hitting on Madge."

He made a face. "No, I wasn't—okay, I guess I was," he mused, chuckling. She cocked a hip.

"So is this what you do? Pick up high school chicks?"

His expression sobered immediately. "No, Katniss," he said evenly. "I didn't have some nefarious plot concocted to prey on high school girls. I didn't expect to like Madge, but she's cooler than I gave her credit for." He shrugged. She was still confused.

"So...what about me?"

He laughed at that, and she bristled. He held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Katniss, you're cool, too, don't get me wrong. I did like you— _do—_ but it's clear you're not into it. You're hung up on someone else."

Her eyes widened. "What? Who?"

He shot her an exasperated look. "Peeta. Come on."

Her jaw dropped, and her heart jumped into her throat. " _What_? No...I'm not...I'm not hung up on Peeta," she said weakly, glancing around them, afraid somebody else had walked in and overheard. Gale just chuckled again.

"You are. Look, far be it from me to judge your situation, but...I just don't really want to waste my time on a girl who's pining for somebody else," he explained. As her face paled, he smiled sympathetically. "Hey, if it helps, I'm pretty sure he feels the same way. Jesus, I don't know if I've ever seen two people who want to fuck more badly than you two do."

Dread settled in her stomach like cement. "Oh, my god," she whispered, and he looked concerned.

"What?" Then it seemed to dawn on him. "This isn't the first time you're realizing it, is it?" he asked.

It was; oh, fuck, it  _was_.

She wanted to fuck Peeta. So badly.

She didn't even know how to respond, so Gale gave a low whistle, running a hand through his hair. "Wow. I thought girls were supposed to be more intuitive about this sort of thing. Well...shit. You know what you need?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag full of what she recognized to be weed and rolling papers. "A little herbal relief."

She hadn't smoked pot since she was 14. The thought hadn't appealed to her in a while, but now...Yeah, she needed some herbal relief. "Okay," she agreed numbly, and he led her back out into the living room, waving her over to the couch. As she moved around the furniture, she locked eyes with Peeta. He was watching her curiously, and her entire body flushed with warmth. Could he read it all over her face now? Fuck, if everyone else could pick up on her desire for him, how easily could he read it? He understood her better than anyone.

Shit, she was such an idiot. She'd just managed to smooth things over with him not even five minutes ago, and now she was about to ruin it all by acting weird and distant yet again.

She had to suck it up. She couldn't do this to him, not again.

Forcing as natural a smile as she could manage, she gestured for him to come sit with her. She could do this; she could act normal.

"Who wants a hit?" Gale called out, and the surrounding partygoers converged around them eagerly. Johanna appeared suddenly, plopping down on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. Peeta pushed through the crowd and leaned over the back of the couch to speak into Katniss' ear.

"You're not going to smoke that, are you?" he asked warily, and she jumped when his warm breath caressed the shell of her ear, goosebumps prickling her skin deliciously. Fuck. She swallowed thickly before glancing back at him.

"Just a couple hits, that's all," she replied, and he sighed in disapproval. She knew what he was thinking; this was two years ago, all over again. But it wasn't. Not even close. She reached for his hand to tug on it, trying to ignore how nice his skin felt against hers. "Sit with me. Make sure I don't do anything stupid. Please?" she implored, her eyes round. He stared at her for a moment and then nodded, climbing over the back of the couch to squeeze in between her and the arm of the couch. Their shoulders bumped together as he settled in, their thighs pressed tightly together. Katniss nearly let her hand come to rest on his knee but thought better of it and clenched her fist in her lap.

She tried to watch Gale roll the joint, but she was distracted. She had never been this aware of Peeta's proximity before, every inch of him; her body responded, a dull throbbing settling between her thighs, and she clenched her fist tighter. Could Gale hurry the fuck up?

When he finally had the joint rolled, he pulled a lighter out of his pocket and pinched the filter end of the joint between his fingers, pursing his lips around it. He flicked the lighter, and once the flame caught, he held it to the other end of the joint and inhaled deeply. Then he released the smoke, blowing it into the air, and he handed the joint to the next person. It made its way around the circle, and by the time it reached her, her legs were shaking with anxiety.

She snatched it from some girl's hand and took a hit, greedily sucking the smoke into her lungs before releasing it slowly. She coughed a couple times, and she felt Peeta's hand ghost over her thigh. She closed her eyes at the sensation; the effect of the pot was almost immediate, a wave of lightheadedness washing over her.

"Hand it over, brainless," Johanna quipped, and Katniss blinked her eyes open, passing the joint to her. As Johanna took a puff, Katniss leaned back on the couch. Peeta nudged her arm.

"You okay?" he asked softly so only she could hear, and she made herself look at him. He was so close, his features creased slightly in concern. She smiled at him and nodded, but she couldn't stop staring at him. As familiar as she was with his face, it was like she was looking at it for the first time. His eyes were like peering down into two bottomless wells, framed perfectly by the ridge of his brow. Some of his blonde curls fell across his forehead and grazed the curved edges of his ears; she fought the urge to tug on his hair. How often had she done that in the past and thought nothing of it? She inhaled shakily, her gaze dipping to his mouth. His mouth—Jesus Christ, how badly did she want to taste his lips, his tongue, to guide that mouth over every plane of her body?

She ached acutely now; she could feel herself getting wetter as her face filled with color. Peeta's eyes searched her face. "You sure?" he pressed, and she nodded, dazed, forcing her eyes away. But she grabbed his hand this time and squeezed, bringing it into her lap. Which she realized immediately was a bad idea because now he was that much closer to where she ached to be touched; it was torture.

Somehow, the joint had made its way back around to her. She grasped it lightly and took another greedy drag. The buzz was starting to hit her now, and she turned to Peeta, offering the joint. "Do you want a hit?" she asked boldly. His eyes darted between her face and her hand, and after a moment's deliberation, he took the proffered joint, regarding it uneasily. He'd attempted this before a couple of times, when she used to smoke, but he had never taken a liking to it. He'd only ever smoked from a bong, though. He licked his lips like he wasn't entirely sure what to do, and, watching his tongue, Katniss made an impulsive split decision, unlacing her hand from his.

Plucking the joint from his fingers, she took another deep hit and held it in her lungs. Confused, Peeta made to protest, but his jaw went slack when she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face to hers, sealing her parted lips to his. Then she released the smoke she'd been holding, blowing it into his mouth; Peeta inhaled reflexively, his wide eyes glued to hers.

Vaguely, she was aware of catcalls and laughter, but all she could focus on in that moment was the feel of his lips against her. They were slightly chapped but soft. If she just moved her tongue, just slightly, she could taste him...

Too soon, she pulled away, breaking the spell. Peeta said nothing as he gaped at her wordlessly, coughing slightly on the smoke. Her face flushed with shame, and she looked away. What an idiot she was! What had she been thinking? Her gaze locked with Johanna's; her friend was grinning wolfishly at her, but Katniss ignored her, passing her the last of the joint. She avoided eye contact with anyone else after that, keeping her head down. That was when she realized Peeta's hand was still in her lap, his fingers digging into her thigh firmly.

Oh, god, what was he thinking? Did he hate her? He didn't speak, but she could hear his ragged breathing even over the music and the chatter. Eventually, with the joint finished, the crowd began to disperse, the guests devolving into their own conversations and activities. Neither she nor Peeta moved from their spots, however, still pressed together even when more space had been cleared on the couch. She still couldn't bring herself to look at him. Her head was swimming, and she had a feeling it was from more than just the weed.

Katniss went rigid when she felt his hand move, his palm dragging farther up her thigh. She nearly swallowed her tongue when his hand slid between her thighs, and when the outside of his pinky brushed the crotch of her pants, her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes fluttering closed. But Peeta jerked his hand away almost immediately, standing up abruptly, and she gawked at him as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Sorry, I just—I need—air," he choked out, briefly glancing at her before he forced his eyes away, and then he started to walk away, weaving through people.

She jumped to her feet and was instantly on his heels, compelled by panic or something else, she wasn't sure. "Peeta!" she called after him, pulling him to a stop in the hallway. He turned around to face her; his features were fraught with worry and confusion, and her stomach sank. Fuck. She had freaked him out. She had ruined everything.

They stared at each other, neither knowing what to do or say. Unbidden, her eyes dropped to his mouth again, her mind replaying the brief moment their lips touched. She might have ruined everything with that one idiotic move, but, god, did she want to do it again.

"Katniss," he said shakily, tearing her attention from his mouth. How long had she been staring? When she met his gaze again, she pulled up short. His eyes were dark and hooded, his pupils fat.

Did he want her? A thrill ran up her spine, and she exhaled tremulously.

She was jostled suddenly by somebody squeezing past them, once again breaking the trance. She wanted to scream in frustration. There were too many fucking people at this party. She searched their surroundings frantically, noting the coat closet to her left. Before Peeta could run off again, she threw the door open and grabbed his arm, hurriedly pulling him into the closet with her before anyone could see them. Immediately, she collided with the coats that draped from the hangers, and she shoved them out of the way.

"What are you..." Peeta breathed, and she reached around him to slam the door shut, plunging them into darkness. They stood there, face to face but not touching, their breaths heavy between them. The sounds from the party were muffled, creating a delicate near-silence in the small closet. Hesitantly, she placed her trembling hands on his waist and stepped flush against him. She heard his breath stick in his throat. Did he understand yet?

She lifted her head up toward where she sensed his face to be. His quick breaths were hot against her mouth. She was paralyzed, her own lips parted, sucking in the air he exhaled—could she do it? She swallowed, hard, and stepped to the precipice.

"Tag, you're it," she whispered, wondering if he could hear her over the sound of her heart beating, wondering if he would catch her.

He groaned loudly, almost painfully, and then his mouth was crashing down on hers so fast she didn't even have time to blink. He pushed her backward against the wall, angrily parting the coats, and then his tongue was in her mouth, stroking hers. She whimpered, cupping his face, trying to pull him as close as possible. Yes, yes, yes, yes—he tasted better than she could have imagined, and she couldn't get enough. She sucked on his tongue, drawing a low moan from the back of his throat, and then he took control of the kiss again, nipping at her lip, sucking it between his own before dipping his tongue back into her mouth.

Slowly, she became aware of their hips bumping together, her pelvis gyrating in a circle against his erection. She broke the kiss with a gasp when the friction stimulated her clit, her head thumping against the wall. Peeta removed one of his hands from her hip and fumbled in the dark for something. She understood when she heard a soft click, light flooding the small closet. They both blinked at each other, their movements stilling. Their chests heaved, and she took in the sight of his face—his lips red and swollen, his cheeks flushed, his eyes dark.

Whimpering again, Katniss bucked against his hips, and he gripped them, pressing harder between her thighs. They both groaned in relief as he thrust slowly, the bulge in his pants straining against her center. "Shit," he hissed, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Peeta, please," she pleaded, not even sure what she was asking for, but she knew she needed it.

Suddenly, he stopped again, his hands moving between them to unbutton her pants. Unzipping them, he clumsily pushed her pants down her hips so her panties were exposed. They locked eyes, his questioning; she slipped the cotton panties down for him in answer, baring herself for him. His stare was fixated on the juncture of her thighs, and he inhaled sharply, but then his fingers were moving through her dark curls. She cried out when his fingers made contact with her folds, easily sliding through her wetness.

"Holy fuck, Katniss," he groaned, his voice awed, and then he was slipping his fingers back and forth, teasing her lips. Her hips rocked against his hand, and she moaned pathetically, gripping his shoulders hard. Her eyes were closed, but she felt one finger push inside her; she choked on a gasp, but when he pushed a second finger in, she groaned fully. Peeta did, too. "Oh, my god, you feel so hot," he whispered, pumping her with his digits. After a moment, he pulled his slippery fingers out and found her clitoris next, rubbing it quickly.

She jerked against him with a pleased gasp, moving her hips faster. But there wasn't enough friction, she realized quickly, and she whined. "Peeta, I'm too wet," she pleaded, and something like a laugh of disbelief caught in his throat.

"Yeah," he breathed, pulling his hand away briefly. She peered up at him; her heart stopped as she watched him suck his two fingers into his mouth, cleaning them of her arousal, and then he wiped his saliva off on his shirt before he returned his hand to the apex of her thighs, his fingers resuming their assault on her clit. Katniss moaned in relief as he rubbed quick, sharp circles. "Better?"

She nodded desperately, her breaths coming hard and fast now. She was going to come soon, and hard—she was so wet. She could feel the wetness seeping down the inside of her thighs; she felt like she was dripping all over the place. She couldn't remember ever being this turned on before. Was it the weed? Or was it just Peeta? Had she wanted him this bad all along?

She didn't have time to think about it because suddenly her orgasm was ripping through her, and she cried out. " _Ngh_ , fuck, I'm coming," she moaned, too late, and Peeta swallowed the sound with his mouth, his tongue working hers as she fell apart in his arms, shuddering and tensing as the pleasure spread out into every limb of her body. Then she went limp, trembling when his fingers kept tracing idle circles on her clit. He held her to his chest, kissing her languidly until her heart rate evened out. When he pulled away, however, it felt final—and she didn't want to stop yet.

Her hands moved between them, unfastening his pants and pushing them down. When she stretched his boxer-briefs down over his cock, they both inhaled sharply. "Katniss," he warned, but she was too mesmerized by the sight of him. She always thought he might be big, but her hand looked so small wrapped around his cock when she gripped him. He jerked against her hand, gasping softly. Slowly, she stroked him, experimenting with the weight of him in her palm, with the speed of her movements. Peeta was breathing heavily, and she finally glanced up at him.

"Is this okay?" she asked, and his eyelids fluttered open; it took a moment for his eyes to focus on her face. He started to nod his head, but then he stopped, lightly touching her wrist to halt her hand.

"I—wait," he murmured, and she stared at him with wide eyes as he unhinged her hand from his cock—did he not want this?—but then he pushed her hand between her own legs. He slid her palm and fingers over her folds, coating her hand in her own wetness, and her mouth parted in surprise. Then he placed her hand back on his cock, pumping it a few times to get her started. Her hand was slick now, gliding more easily over his hot flesh, and he moaned quietly, leaning his forehead against her shoulder. "Fuck."

Katniss curled her fingers in the hair at the back of his neck, stroking him quickly with her other hand. He was so hard, his skin silky; she nuzzled the side of his head, pressing kisses to his jaw as she continued to pump him. She tightened her fist some, and he groaned his approval, his hips bucking against her. Her wrist was getting tired, but she was determined to finish.

"I—shit, Katniss," he grunted, his hand suddenly covering hers and cupping it over the head of his cock, then he bit down on her shoulder to stifle his moan as he came.

"Oh," she breathed out, feeling the warm fluid fill her hand. She wasn't gripping him tightly enough, so she felt some of it leak between her fingers and down her palm, dripping down his cock. She just listened to his ragged breathing, his cock pulsing in her hand, and after a moment he seemed to deflate, sagging against her slightly. She could feel him softening in her hand, so she released his cock gingerly, her hand still full of his cum. She didn't know what to do with it.

Finally, Peeta pushed off the wall and stood up straight. He was still panting some, and his face was flushed when she looked him in the eye—her face felt warm, too. He seemed at a loss for words, so she held her hand out to him in question. "Um...what should I do with this?" she asked, her voice hushed. He cringed slightly but took her hand; deliberating, he finally had her wipe his semen off on his boxer-briefs, and then he tucked himself back in, fastening his pants. Katniss followed suit, uncomfortably pulling her underwear and jeans back up.

And now the nerves were setting in as the full weight of what had just happened hit her. Oh god, now what? She searched his face, trying to determine what he was thinking, but she was taken aback by the fear she found in his eyes.

Why was he afraid?

"Fuck," he sighed, stepping back and scrubbing his hands over his face. "Fuck."

She reached out to him, her fingers grazing his arm. "Peeta..." she started, but he jerked away from her, shaking his head.

"I... _fuck_. Katniss—I'm so sorry—oh, god, I can't. I gotta go. I'm sorry," he blurted, spinning around to throw the door open. She was too stunned to call out to him, and the door slamming shut jarred her out of her stupor, causing her to jump. She just stared at the closed door, not moving and utterly dumbfounded.


	8. Chapter 7

Peeta was gone. He was just  _gone_. After Katniss had gathered her bearings and slipped out of the closet, she couldn't find him anywhere. She tried calling him, but he wouldn't answer his phone. When she asked the others if they'd seen him, they seemed equally mystified by his disappearance. She checked outside for his car to be sure; it was also gone.

At first, she was horrified that she'd run him off. But the longer she stayed at the party—the longer she didn't hear from him, the longer she had to think about everything—the more her horror turned to anger. She was  _incensed_.

He was their fucking DD, and he just left them, knowing everyone else had been drinking. Luckily, Annie didn't mind taking her, Johanna and Madge home as she was driving Finnick, anyway. Still, it was the principle of the matter.

At the end of the night, Katniss slid into the backseat with Madge and Johanna, staring sullenly out the window. The others chattered aimlessly about the party, but she couldn't contribute anything; she was hopelessly fixated on Peeta. What the hell was going through his mind right now? He never just  _abandoned_  her. That wasn't like him.

Suddenly, icy fear solidified in her stomach. What if something had happened to him? He hadn't been drinking, but he'd had a hit of that pot. It wasn't likely it affected him much—her own buzz had worn off not long after he'd run off—but what if he'd been in an accident or something?

Now she was being irrationally paranoid. Why wouldn't he just answer his fucking phone?

She pulled out her phone and shot him a quick, desperate text:  _Please at least just tell me you got home safe so I can stop worrying._

She set her phone in her lap and waited for his response, growing increasingly agitated with each passing minute.

"Are you okay, Katniss?" Madge asked suddenly, startling her. Katniss shot her a glance and waved her off.

"Yeah, fine," she mumbled, but Madge leaned closer. Her eyes were glassy, a sure sign she was drunk.

"Are you mad at me about Gale?" she asked, her voice imploring. "I didn't mean—I wasn't trying to flirt with him; he just started talking to me and...I'm sorry, he's just so cute! And you didn't really seem into him...Are you mad? I'm sorry!"

Katniss blinked at her friend, flabbergasted. "What? No. I don't care about Gale," she dismissed. "I mean, he's cool, whatever. If you wanna date him, have at it. Go get him, Tiger, or whatever. I don't care."

Madge looked relieved but apprehensive still, and Katniss checked her phone again even though she knew Peeta hadn't texted her. Johanna snorted from Madge's other side.

"No, with the way Katniss here was sucking face with Peeta earlier, I don't think she cares about Gale at all."

Oh, fuck.

Everybody in the car gasped, and Annie hit her brakes reflexively before she stepped on the gas again, her eyes finding Katniss' in the rearview mirror. Finnick twisted in the passenger seat to gawk at her. "Hold the fuck up—you made out with Peeta?!"

Katniss forgot how to breathe as she mentally began plotting Johanna's murder. "No!" she finally screeched. "We did  _not_ —we weren't sucking face! I just shotgunned the weed for him, that's all!" She blushed furiously, hoping against hope Johanna didn't know about their closet activities.

Johanna just cackled. "Right, and you needed your mouth to do that?" she teased, and Katniss glared at her, her nostrils flaring.

"He's never smoked a joint before, so I was just helping him out," she said defensively, her heart pounding.

"Mmhmm," Johanna said smugly.

Finnick laughed, clapping his hands together. "Well, that explains why he ran off then. He had to get home so he could beat off. I'm sure he had a raging hard-on to take care of after that."

Annie hushed him in admonishment, and Katniss wanted to melt into her seat in mortification. "No, that's not it," she stressed pleadingly. He hadn't run home to jack off; she'd done it for him, after all.

Madge looked at her in concern, but there was a fleeting smile pulling at her mouth. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked. Katniss couldn't take it anymore.

"Yes, I'm fine!" she snapped. "Everyone just shut the fuck up. I have a huge fucking headache, and I just want to go home and go to sleep."

The others chortled in amusement but abided her wish. Her phone finally pinged, and she snatched it up, her heart constricting. Peeta.

_I'm home._

She sighed in frustration but put her phone away. At least, she could stop worrying. But she was still fucking pissed.

Who did he think he was? Running away was  _her_  thing.

* * *

Katniss didn't bother trying to call or text Peeta the next day. She just went directly over to his house. She entered through the front door silently, glad Mr. Mellark was at the bakery. Peeta's car was in the driveway, so she was certain he was there. He wasn't in the living room or kitchen, so she headed upstairs. She didn't attempt any stealth this time, throwing his door open angrily. He was sitting at his computer, and he jumped about a foot in his chair when his doorknob hit the wall, spinning around to face her. If she wasn't so pissed, his face might have been comical.

"Katniss—" he gasped, but she cut him off.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" she yelled, and his mouth dropped. "You can't just do what you did last night, Peeta!"

His face twisted in regret. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—I shouldn't have touched you like that..."

She blinked in disbelief, her face flushing. "I'm not—I'm not talking about  _that_! I'm talking about you running off and leaving us— _me_ —stranded at a party!"

He inhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Fuck. I know. I wasn't thinking. I forgot—I'm so sorry. I just...I panicked," he said apologetically, averting his gaze. She swallowed thickly and shuffled undecidedly before she moved to shut the door behind her. Then she moved a step closer and took a deep breath.

She'd had all night to think about this, to reason it out, rationalize it in her mind. She'd finally transcribed a script in her head of what to tell him, how to address the things they'd done. Licking her lips, she started, rather bluntly, "Look. So...you fingered me, and I jacked you off. Whatever. No big deal." His eyes widened at her words, his cheeks filling with color; she swallowed again, trying to retain her composure even though her limbs were shaking. "Shit like that ha—happens," she stuttered and blushed, cursing herself for the slip. "I mean...friends experiment, right? I'm sure this isn't—I'm sure we're not the first to...whatever, teenagers do dumb shit all the time. Just—just chalk it up to being young and horny, right?"

Peeta still wasn't looking at her as he took in her words, but he slowly dropped his head into his hands. He finally heaved a sigh. "Katniss..." he began, his words muffled, but he stopped there.

She didn't want to know what he was going to say, really; it was clear he regretted the things they'd done. She'd fucked up, yet again. She let Gale and all her other friends get into her head and convince her she was attracted to her best friend—and maybe she was, maybe it was there, but he didn't feel the same; she couldn't lose his friendship. She couldn't be the reason he left her because he couldn't return whatever feelings she had for him. She could pretend; she could act like nothing had changed.

Fake it till you make it, damn it. Eventually, the attraction, the desire for him would fade over time, right?

"We're going to be fine, Peeta," she asserted with false bravado. Then she faltered. "I'm...sorry I made you uncomfortable, I just...I didn't mean—well, I don't know what got into me last night, I guess. So. I'm sorry. Can we just...be fine again?"

He finally lifted his head; she tried not to wilt under his gaze, holding her head high. He sat up straight in his chair as he regarded her. He looked confused. "Why'd you do it?"

"What?"

He pursed his lips together before repeating himself. "Why did you do it, then? The thing in the living room and then...in the closet. I mean...I can't work it out. Did you want to do it? Did you want me to do— _that_  to you?" he asked honestly, and her hand immediately began fidgeting with her braid out of nervous habit.

What could she say? "I don't...I don't do things I don't want to do, Peeta," she said carefully, her eyes darting around evasively, desperate for anything to look at that wasn't his face. Her gaze settled on an old photo of them together on his bookshelf, smiling and happy and oblivious. Fuck, that was worse.

"Were you drunk? Was it the weed?" he pressed, and she made a face.

"No. It wasn't—it wasn't that. I just...I had an urge, I don't know," she said miserably, her heart hammering in her chest. Why did he have to force the issue? This was humiliating.

"An urge...for me?" he asked delicately. She took a deep breath and forced a nod. He inhaled loudly and licked his lips. It took him a moment to continue. "Are you attracted to me?"

She covered her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. Great, here it was. She couldn't lie to him now. "Yes," she whimpered finally, unable to look at him yet. She heard his breath hitch.

"Okay," he finally breathed out, but he fell quiet after that. She dropped her hand to look at him and wanted to curl up in shame; he had a bizarre expression on his face. She groaned loudly.

"Peeta, don't do this—don't be weird about this, please," she practically begged, drawing his astonished stare, but she rushed on. "I'm sure it's just some weird, delayed crush thing, I don't know—don't all friends of the opposite sex go through something like this at some point? I'm sure it'll pass, and then we can laugh about it—"

"Katniss," he interrupted, almost sternly; the hardness of his voice pulled her up short. He stared at her until his face softened, his throat constricting with his hard swallow. "I'm attracted to you, too."

Her eyes widened; she was pretty sure her heart stopped beating right then. "What?" she repeated, her voice louder than she'd anticipated, and she cringed.

Peeta looked away, scratching his nose. "I thought...fuck, I don't know. I just thought I was being clingy and possessive with you about Gale, like I just didn't want to share you as your friend. But then it was like I couldn't fucking stand the thought of him touching you or kissing you—like, it was this intense, irrational jealousy thing, and I realized...nobody should touch you like that but me. Which is absurd because I didn't even know I  _wanted_  you like that."

Katniss was speechless as she stared at him, her arms hanging limply by her sides. Her blood was rushing in her ears. "Does that mean...you  _do_  want me like that?" she repeated for clarification. His ears reddened, his hand tightening on the back of his chair, but he nodded. "How...for how long?"

He exhaled through his teeth, nearly laughing. "I don't know. Longer than I realized. I..." He glanced at her and flushed, clearing his throat. "I, you know...I think about you when I, ah—when I masturbate. But I mean, I've thought about Madge and Johanna, too. So I didn't think much of it. Hell, even Annie—don't tell Finn that—but you just...I pictured you the most. I just, I thought that was normal, though. I'm the closest to you, so it makes sense I'd think about you the most, right? But...it's constant now."

She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. Her heart was racing now, and she felt lightheaded. "What do you think about?"

He frowned. "Huh?"

She subconsciously moved closer, and he blinked. "When you—when you touch yourself. About me. What do you think about?" she asked breathlessly, barely able to force the words out over her thrumming heartbeat.

His lips parted in disbelief. "You want me to _tell_  you?" he choked slightly, his voice a little higher pitched than usual, and she nodded. He hastily ran a hand through his curls, tugging on them roughly. Then it all came pouring out.

"I don't know, Katniss. I think about you naked, I think about you in that dark green bikini you wear at the pool. I think about—I think about you going down on me. I think about going down on  _you_. I think about sex, mostly. I think about fucking you in my bed, in the shower, in my car, on a wrestling mat, on the table in Biology. I—anywhere, everywhere, it doesn't matter. I'm sure I've imagined it all. I think about you on top, I think about  _me_  on top, I think about taking you from behind, I—do you want me to keep going?" he asked, his voice strained, and she shook her head desperately.

"No," she gasped, curling her fingers into her palm tightly. "Just—stop talking and just  _do it_."

His jaw dropped. " _What_?" he asked sharply. "You want me to—?"

"Yes!" she hissed, her hands trembling. She was seeping with want now. "I want that, I want all of that. All of it, it all sounds good, Peeta. I want you to give it to me,  _please_."

He was up and out of his chair in less than a second, their bodies colliding as he jerked her into his arms; her mouth met his hungrily, their tongues and lips clashing. They both groaned in relief as their tongues twisted together, their hands roaming searchingly. She clawed at his back, at his hips, his hair, and he cupped her face while he tilted her head to push his tongue deeper into her mouth, flicking over the roof of her mouth.

She wasn't even aware he had backed her up to her bed until her legs hit the mattress and her knees buckled. She sat down heavily, breaking the kiss, but Peeta hastily yanked her jacket off. Then he was pulling at his own clothes, tugging his shirt over his head. Katniss followed his lead and whipped her own shirt over her head, then she crawled backward some, falling back to shimmy out of her pants. He was already stepping out of his pants, and he helped her pull her pants off her feet, taking her shoes with them. She was already reaching behind her back to unhook her bra when he leaned over her to tug her panties off.

There was no hesitation in their movements now; everything was fluid, like his hands knew where to go, like they'd been waiting for this moment. She wasn't even embarrassed or self-conscious about him seeing her naked body. She didn't think about how small her breasts were or how she hadn't shaved her bikini line in a few days. It didn't matter. He was still staring at her like she was the most precious thing he had ever seen—but also like he wanted to fuck that precious thing so hard it broke.

Her clit throbbed painfully, and she groaned impatiently, throwing her bra somewhere over the edge of the bed. Then she reached for him, hiking her feet up on the bed so she was spread before him, ready to accept him. "Peeta, take your underwear off already," she whined. He couldn't tear his gaze from the juncture of her thighs as he bent over to remove his boxer-briefs, then he was kneeling between her legs, crawling over her. She pushed up on her elbows to look at him; she knew she'd seen his cock the night before, but she wanted to drink in the sight of him fully naked now.

Really, was there a more perfect best friend in the world?

"Fuck, Katniss, you're so fucking perfect," he groaned, his mouth sliding across her cheek as he settled above her, and she wanted to laugh at how his thoughts echoed hers. When she felt the head of his cock graze her folds, she gasped, bracing herself for him to push into her. But he didn't, his hand sliding up her rib cage to palm her breast. His mouth latched onto the other breast, his lips puckering around her nipple as his thumb traced the other bud, and she arched upward with a moan. She weaved her fingers through his curls to spur him on.

But when his other hand slipped between her legs to rub her clit, she had to fist the sheets tightly. "Shit!" she hissed, already rocking her hips. It wasn't going to take long at all. His mouth pressed against her neck, and he suckled the flesh there urgently, breaking the suction periodically to lave her skin with his tongue. His fingers bore down harder on her clit as the sounds she issued got more frantic and louder until she shattered, her body bowing off the bed. Her shout echoed around the room, and if she had any wherewithal right then she might have sent up a silent thank you that his dad wasn't home.

The pleasure between her thighs dulled eventually, and she sank back into the mattress, her hands ghosting over his arms and back. Peeta lifted himself off her, but she tried to pull him back against her. "No, wait," she breathed pleadingly, but he exhaled a breathless laugh.

"I need a condom," he told her, and she relaxed, watching him stand up and cross to his nightstand to rifle through it. They hadn't even made it upright on his bed. She tried not to stare at his cock, but it was impossible to look at anything else. And his ass. Her pelvis tensed in anticipation, and she took a deep breath to steady herself, closing her eyes before she could think too much.

He got a condom on in record timing, and then he was back over her, nudging her thighs open farther with his knees. He aligned his face with hers, his breath hot against her mouth. "Okay, I'm gonna..."

She nodded eagerly, squeezing his waist between her knees. "Yes," she encouraged, urging her hips toward his. She felt the head of his cock parting her folds, and she mewled, shifting her hips so that he was pressing at her entrance; Peeta pushed into her then, stretching her fully, and she inhaled sharply before releasing a guttural moan. It pinched some—it had been a while for her—but there was something so satisfying about being filled by him. He was a part of her.

He released a small gasp, the air sticky and warm on her face, and then he was moving again, pulling out and pushing in again, and again. Her body arched toward him, her hips meeting his each time, like she didn't want him to leave her, like she was welcoming him home each time. The feeling was exquisite.

"Good?" Peeta finally forced out, his hand cupping her breast forcefully while his other stretched over her head to grip the edge of the mattress, propelling him forward in his thrusts. She nodded eagerly and wrapped her arms around his back, planting her heels into the mattress to buck against him faster.

"So fucking good," she gasped when he pinched her nipple, his hips swiveling in a hard thrust. She dragged her fingers down the taut muscles of his back to grip his ass tightly. "Are you gonna come? I want you to come so hard, Peeta," she whispered in his ear, not even sure where the words were coming from.

He groaned against her neck, sliding his hand from her breast to her thigh to hitch it up farther. "Soon," he panted. "Oh, god, you feel fucking amazing, Katniss. You're so tight, and— _ah_ —you feel even wetter than last night, fuck."

His words made her stomach tighten deliciously, and she squeezed his cock inside her in response, making him groan. His thrusts became faster, more erratic, and she pulsed the muscles of her walls around him every time he pushed into her, sensing his orgasm.

"Shit," he cursed, his hips slamming into hers haltingly a couple more times, and then he stilled on top of her with a choked moan. She felt his cock throbbing inside her as he emptied himself into the condom, and she held him tighter, pressing the side of her face against his, panting softly.

After a moment, he stirred and pushed himself up some to look down at her. He was still breathing heavily, his lips parted, and his eyes searched her face. "You okay?" he asked, and she nodded, letting her hands slip from his back so he could get up. He pulled out of her, and she briefly closed her eyes at the loss before she forced them open to watch him dispose of the condom. She felt cold without his warmth, and she pressed her thighs together, awkwardly wrapping her arms around her torso to shield her breasts.

She didn't know what to do now. She'd just had sex with her best friend. How was she supposed to act now? How did this change things?

"Katniss..." Peeta started uneasily, and she looked at him. He stood at the edge of the bed, watching her, still naked. Her eyes kept dropping to his softening cock, her cheeks heating, and he finally seemed to register his state. "Uh, let me just—put some clothes on..." As he slipped his boxer-briefs back on, she rolled over and snatched his pillow up to hug to her chest. He sat down on the bed and then lay on his back next to her, both of them staring at the ceiling. "So, what now?" he asked, and she tensed, glancing over at him.

"I was going to ask you that," she said honestly, picking at the pillowcase. "Is it out of your system?"

He frowned in confusion and looked at her. "What?"

She dropped his gaze. "I mean...now that you've had sex with me, is that enough for you?"

He looked horrified. "Enough?" he echoed, and he rolled over, prying the pillow from her, then he pressed his body to her bare flesh, making her tremble. "Do you think that was enough for me? I've thought about fucking you since I was 13, so, no, I haven't had nearly enough of you, Katniss."

Her breath hitched in her throat, and she grabbed onto his shoulders. "Okay," she said, the response wholly inadequate, but he kissed her, his tongue dipping into her mouth. When he released her mouth, her lips tried to follow, but then he forced his hand between her closed thighs, immediately finding her clit, and she cried out at the unexpected sensation.

"Is it enough for you?" he asked, leisurely stroking her clit, and she shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

"No!" she cried, her legs falling open for him; he rubbed harder, and she preened. "More, Peeta, I need—I need—" She was unable to finish the sentence, lost in her euphoria. His fingers worked her until she came again with a hoarse shout, and when he shoved his fingers inside her, her entire body tightened around him, her walls milking his fingers as he pumped them in and out roughly until her orgasm receded. Then he pulled his hand away and shifted his body over hers, falling between her legs. She could feel his erection through his boxer-briefs again already. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms to the mattress.

"Good," was all he said, rocking his cock purposely against her center, and she pushed back against him, feeling delirious with want and happiness.

This was right. Everything felt right.

* * *

"Fuck, Katniss, I'm gonna come," Peeta warned, a slight growl to his voice, and she rode him harder, swiveling her hips on top of his.

"Wait, wait," she begged, throwing her head back as she leaned forward, her hands splayed on his chest, pressing her hips as hard as she could to his, her clit catching on his pelvic bone. Peeta grabbed her thighs tightly and thrust up into her frantically.

"I—oh god, I can't,  _fuck_ ," he cried as he strained off the bed and then dropped his hips to the mattress, groaning softly as he spilled himself into the condom. She rocked on top of him a few more times as he pulsed inside her until pleasure exploded between her thighs, and she wailed into the silence of the room, her arms shaking as her orgasm ripped through her.

They stopped moving after a moment, panting heavily. She dipped her face to his to kiss him languidly, and he palmed her cheeks, tasting her tongue before he released her. When she felt satiated, she lifted her hips off his, feeling him slide out of her, and then she lay down beside him, burrowing her face in the pillow.

"That was the last of the condoms," he reminded her, his voice husky, and she nodded sleepily. They'd been at it all afternoon, unable to get enough after that first time earlier that day. She was on the pill, so she supposed the condoms weren't really necessary, but she was beyond sore now. It was probably best they stopped, anyway.

Peeta looked at the time on his phone and sighed. "My dad should be home soon," he added, pulling the condom off his cock and dropping it in the trash bin next to his bed. It had to be full of latex and semen by this point, she thought; she hid her sudden grin behind her hand, but she was immediately sobered by the thought of his dad.

Which made her think of her mom. And their parents dating.

Meanwhile, here their children were, fucking for hours. Shit.

But it just felt so good. It had never felt so good before. No one had ever made her feel like Peeta had. She felt loved and cherished and wanted and respected.

She rolled onto her back and ran a hand over her face, and Peeta turned on his side to face her; they were both still naked and sweaty, but she didn't mind. She tried not to look at his dick, though. Every time she did, it made her ache all over again, and then they were back to being distracted by sex and fondling each other's genitals.

Katniss sighed after a moment, glancing back at him. "So, you've made me come 10 times now, but we're still no closer to figuring out what happens next," she pointed out, and his eyebrows shot up. He sounded like he was choking on his spit.

"Ten times?!" he repeated incredulously, and she snorted in amusement, sitting up on her elbows.

"Give or take," she said, picking at a thread on the sheets. She guessed she lost count after seven.

Peeta laughed breathlessly and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. "I don't know, honestly. My brain is complete mush right now. I think I'm delirious. All I want to do is sleep and continue to fuck you, but that's not really possible."

She smiled, her neck flushing at his words, and she nuzzled his neck. "Well, sometimes it happens. It's called sexsomnia."

He hummed and then chuckled. "Man, that sounds kind of awesome. Good for multitasking."

She scoffed. "Not really. You wouldn't even know you're having sex, so you wouldn't enjoy it," she informed him, snuggling up to his chest. His hands tangled in her hair, combing it out, and she sighed. She felt safe.

"Well, I guess that would be a problem," he mused. "Because I am definitely enjoying this."

She bit her lip, fighting a grin, and closed her eyes. His ministrations in her hair were simultaneously making her feel sleepy and aroused. It was a confusing sensation, and she pressed tighter against him, moaning lightly. Peeta laughed softly. "What?" he asked curiously, smoothing his hand down her back to her hip, where he trailed his fingers over the curve of her ass and the back of her thigh.

Katniss shook her head. "You're turning me on again," she whined, not even sure how it was possible. It was like they were making up for years of repressed sexual attraction.

"Damn it," he cursed, stifling a laugh. "I don't think I've physically got it in me anymore." That was a good thing, she told herself; she was pretty sure she was going to be walking bow-legged for a week, and she did not want to invite any more questions or speculation about her gait or sex life than necessary.

He rolled her onto her back suddenly, settling over her. She furrowed her eyebrows, and he arched one. "I could go down on you, though," he offered, his blue eyes twinkling, and her jaw went slack. He grinned, moving his mouth closer to hers so his lips brushed hers when he spoke, his voice barely above a murmur. "I got a taste last night, but I need more. I wanna know what your pussy tastes like."

She choked on an incredulous laugh, her eyes going wide. "Oh, my god," she gasped. "I can't believe—" She shook her head, laughing. "You have a filthy mouth."

He feigned an expression of confusion. "What, pussy? What's wrong with pussy? Did you want me to say cunt instead?"

Her laugh sounded high-pitched and bizarre to her ears, and she was sure her face was beet red. She'd heard just about every other word out of that lovely mouth of his, but that was a first, she was pretty sure. At least, in that context. It did naughty things to her. She pressed a hand to his mouth and pushed him back some. "Jesus Christ, Peeta, just—shut up and do something else with your mouth already."

He chuckled as he slid down her body, peppering her breasts with kisses. "I'm working on it," he teased, sucking her nipple into her mouth, flicking it with his tongue, and she tensed in anticipation, flexing her knees. She could feel herself getting wetter, and she groaned in disbelief. How could he make her feel this way?

She sucked in her stomach reflexively when he moved his mouth lower, his lips tickling her abdomen, but then he halted abruptly, lifting his head. "Shit," he said, his face creased in concern. "I think my dad's home."

She groaned loudly in frustration, slapping the mattress. "God damn it," she cried out, and he just laughed as he pushed off the bed, hurriedly locating his clothes. She sat up and grabbed the damp washcloth he had brought her earlier to clean herself—before they'd gotten distracted by sex again. Wiping herself off, she winced slightly at the soreness between her legs, and then she found her clothes to slip on. Fanning her hair out, she rebraided her hair as Peeta made an attempt to straighten his bed.

"God, it smells like sex in here," he complained jokingly, cracking the window open to air his room out. He turned around and handed her her jacket from the foot of the bed, raising his eyebrows. "Well, it's a good thing your jacket has a collar," he said, and she frowned skeptically as she shrugged it on. Peeta smiled sheepishly, moving closer to graze his fingers under her collar against her neck. "I gave you a hickey. Sorry."

She made a face, tugging on the collar self-consciously. "Shit. How bad is it?" she asked, and he scrunched his nose.

"Well, I hope you have concealer at home because I'm sure somebody's going to notice. You can't see it right now, at least."

Huffing, she shoved on his chest lightly and stuffed her feet into her shoes. "I have been here way too long," she said, only half-joking as she crossed to the door, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him.

"Wait a minute," he insisted, then he kissed her sweetly, slowly. When he broke away, he smiled at her. "Since I can't do that downstairs."

Blushing mildly, she returned his smile. They stared at each other for a moment, their expressions sobering. Katniss knew once they left his room, the bubble of suspension they had sealed themselves in for the afternoon would pop and they would have to face the reality of their situation. The thought made her sick to her stomach, and she tried to push it away again, ensconcing him in a tight hug. They would figure it out, somehow.

They exited his room together, Peeta a step behind her, bounding down the stairs; Katniss swallowed a groan, grimacing at the pain that lanced between her legs. Damn it.

They both pulled up short when they found Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark in the living room. She hadn't been expecting her mom, and her hand instinctively reached for Peeta's before she realized what she was doing, tucking it back against her side. Her mother smiled when she spotted them.

"Oh, hey. I thought you might be here. We saw your car outside."

Katniss nervously ran her hand over her braid and pulled self-consciously on her collar. "Um, yeah, we were studying," she lied, but then she wanted to kick herself; she hadn't brought any of her books with her to support that claim. It was such an obvious cover. She looked back at Peeta for help, but he just raised his eyebrows helplessly at her.

Luckily, their parents didn't seem to notice the discrepancy, as they didn't press the issue, so Katniss turned back to them, eager to change the subject. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at work," she directed at her mother.

Ms. Everdeen smiled and glanced at Mr. Mellark. "I was. I got off early though, so I thought I'd surprise Faren at the bakery. We're going to have dinner together."

Katniss cleared her throat, trying to retain her composure. "Oh, okay. Cool. What are we having?" she asked, and her mother's expression faltered.

"Ah, no, dear. I meant...just the two of us. Here. You don't mind making dinner for you and Prim tonight, do you? And Peeta, if he wants."

Katniss was a little stunned, so Peeta coughed from behind her. "Sure, that's fine. I can just eat with them," he assured, shaking Katniss from her stupor. Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark smiled in relief.

"Great, thank you, son," Mr. Mellark said.

"Uh, let me just go grab some things, and I'll meet you outside, Katniss," Peeta said before heading back upstairs. Katniss shuffled uncomfortably, unable to look at their parents.

"Well, I'll just—I'll see you later," she told them uncertainly and quietly slipped out the front door. She was at her car when she heard Peeta calling to her and turned around. He jogged up to her, his expression serious.

"You okay?" he asked.

She shook her head. "That was surreal."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, leaning against her car. "Yeah. I feel all out of sorts now." Katniss nodded. She had expected the slap of reality the moment they left his room, but she wasn't prepared to be hit with it like a fucking mack truck.

"I can't believe they kicked us out to have a date..." Her eyes widened as a thought hit her. "Oh, my god, what if they have sex, Peeta? Are they having sex already?!"

He looked horrified. "Shit, I don't...I have no idea." He rubbed a hand over his face and gave a weak laugh. "Man, I hope he doesn't go into my room to get a condom," he joked, and she punched his arm.

"Not funny, Peeta!" she yelled, throwing her car door open.

"I'm being serious, Katniss!" he said, and he circled around to the passenger side to slide in as she started her car. "He might get a little suspicious when he sees the trashcan full of condoms."

She turned her wide eyes on him. "Oh, my god, I'm freaking out here, Peeta!"

He reached over to touch her arm. "Hey, he's not going to go into my room. I don't think he's even aware I own condoms. Don't worry. It's fine. It'll be fine. Just...let's go to your house, and, I don't know, we can try to work out what to do there. Okay?" He cupped her jaw, his thumb smoothing over her cheek. She stared at him, conflicted. How could they work this out when all she wanted to do was kiss his stupid perfect mouth? That was the problem!

Sighing, she nodded and forced herself to look away. "Okay. You're right. We'll figure it out."

She just wasn't sure she'd like the solution.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. I think there will only be one more chapter, plus maybe an epilogue, but I'm not sure yet.

"We can't have sex again."

Peeta nodded seriously. "Okay."

Tugging on her braid, Katniss looked away. "Our parents are dating. It's weird."

He nodded again, bracing his elbows against his knees as he leaned forward. "Right."

It had been a few days since they'd had sex in his room. And it wasn't because she didn't  _want_  to have sex with him—because, god, did she want to; she'd just been too freaked out about the encounter with their parents. It had reminded her of everything that was at stake, their original intentions. If their parents were serious enough to be having sex with each other—and she felt pretty certain they were, judging by how late her mother got home that night from the Mellarks' house—then how could she carry on with Peeta in anything more than a platonic friendship?

Did she want something more than platonic with him? She wanted sex, definitely. She wasn't big on romance, but could she imagine herself doing those stupid relationship things she made fun of others for, like Annie and Finnick? If it was with Peeta, she thought she just might, but then when she admitted that to herself, things got weird and convoluted in her head, and she had to push the thought away. She couldn't have a serious relationship with Peeta if their parents were together—could she?

Glancing back at Peeta, Katniss chewed on her lip thoughtfully. "It would be even weirder if our parents got married," she continued. "Because then we'd be step-siblings."

"Yeah," he agreed solemnly, and she furrowed her brow as she thought.

"I mean...even at this point, if they got married, we'd still be step-siblings who've fucked at some point," she pointed out, swallowing against the lump forming in her throat. "That's weird enough."

"Can't undo the past," he quipped in agreement, clasping his hands together. She studied him intently then, her mouth pursed.

"Really fucking weird," she repeated uneasily, and he just nodded. He wasn't looking at her; her eyes roamed the contours of his face, the slope of his neck, the planes of his broad shoulders. She swallowed again, her resolve wavering as she thought about how she'd held onto them as he fucked her the other day, his muscles taut beneath her palms. How could her hands forget that feeling now? "Of course...by now, it'll be weird no matter what..." she trailed off, her eyes holding steady on his face.

He glanced at her, hearing the hesitation in her voice. "Right," he said, a little less certain now.

Katniss cleared her throat, twisting the end of her braid around her fingers. "So...I mean...if we, you know, were to have sex...again...technically, it wouldn't make it any more or less weird, right?"

He stared intently at her, his tongue tracing the lines of his lips as he wet them. Finally, he spoke, "Yes, your logic makes sense."

She took a deep breath to steady herself, inching a little closer to him on her bed. He straightened up, his head still tilted to look at her. Their parents weren't married yet, at least—might never be—so what was the harm? "So,  _technically_ , I guess we can probably keep having sex...for now, and...no one has to know," she finished, her voice dropping. His gaze was smoldering, and she felt a tug at her center in response, her breathing shallowing. Peeta moved closer, their arms brushing.

"Our little secret," he murmured, and she shivered in anticipation, nodding eagerly. A tense moment passed, but then their hands were moving simultaneously, curling through hair, pulling collars. Their lips collided, their tongues reaching for each other. He tipped her backward, and her head hit her pillow; he followed, sealing his mouth to hers again. She moaned around his tongue, pressing up against him. She could feel him hardening against her, the wetness already gathering between her thighs.

Peeta released her mouth with a ragged gasp. "Can I go down on you?" he panted, and she whimpered, trying to pull him closer.

"Yes," she whispered, and he smirked before kissing her again, pulling her lips between his. Then he moved down her body, trailing kisses over her chest and stomach through the thin material of her shirt. When he reached her pants, he unfastened them and tugged them down her legs, Katniss shimmying her hips to assist him. He ripped them off her feet and dropped them to the floor, and then he pushed her knees up. He lowered himself between her legs, nipping at her through her panties. She gasped, her hips jerking slightly, and he grinned before hooking his fingers in the sides of her underwear to pull them down.

Pushing up on her elbows, Katniss watched him through lidded eyes as he stretched out on his stomach, pressing wet kisses to her inner thighs. Her abdomen tensed in anticipation, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, unable to tear her gaze away as he aligned his face with her center; his dark eyes locked with hers, a small grin turning the corners of his mouth up, but then his tongue flicked out, dragging up through her folds, and she gasped.

A harsh knock on the door made both of them jump, however, and Peeta jerked away, sitting up abruptly.

"Peeta, can you fix the Internet? It's being weird!"

_Prim_.

Frustration bubbled up inside Katniss, and she was yelling before she could think, aggravated at once again having Peeta's oral sex attempts interrupted. "Fuck off, Prim!" she shrieked, but then she immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide. Peeta stared at her in horror, too. Shit. As if that wasn't suspicious.

There was a stunned silence on the other side of the door, but it didn't last long. "You're such a bitch, Katniss! I'm telling mom when she gets home!" Prim screeched, her threat muffled by the door.

Peeta stepped in immediately. "I'll be right there, Prim, I just need to finish this Biology question!" he called to her, as calmly as he could manage. They heard a huff and then her angry footsteps as she stomped down the hall back to her room. He sighed. "This whole secret thing isn't going to work if you start making others suspicious," he said teasingly, and Katniss uncovered her mouth with a groan.

"The universe hates me," she whined, flopping down on her back. He chuckled, the sound gravelly, as he climbed off her bed.

"It'll happen, okay? Just—give me a minute, and I'll be back," he said, wincing as he reached in his pants to tuck his erection under his waistband. Then he pointed a finger at her. "Don't you dare move from that spot. I'm gonna finish what I started," he told her, the promise in his voice thick.

She moaned pathetically, feeling a flush ignite her entire body. "Just hurry back," she pleaded, and he flashed her another smirk before he slipped out the door, shutting it behind him. She lay on her bed, her knees still up and spread where he left them. Finally, she sat up to yank her shirt off, discarding her bra as well, and then she lay back down to wait. Closing her eyes, she pictured Peeta between her legs, recalling that one delicious touch of his tongue, and she inhaled sharply, feeling herself get wetter.

She startled when the door flew open but was relieved when she saw Peeta. He faltered at the sight of her and shut the door hastily. "Oh, fuck me," he groaned, whipping his own shirt off before he got back into bed with her.

She was already panting in anticipation. "After you make me come with your mouth," she told him, and he laughed painfully as he settled between her legs again.

"You are so wet," he murmured, wrapping his hands around her thighs. He didn't waste anymore time after that, opening his mouth over her. His tongue was there again, running the length of her folds repeatedly, and she keened, grateful his hands were holding her down. She felt his tongue push inside her, dipping into her to draw her moisture out, and she fisted one hand into his hair.

"Oh, my god," she breathed tremulously as he licked over her again, pausing to pull her folds between his lips teasingly. He chuckled, the vibrations making her gasp, but then he released her, gliding his tongue up toward the apex of her thighs. There, he pressed his tongue to her clit, flicking it firmly.

Katniss moaned loudly and fought the impulse to squeeze her thighs shut, instead forcing them open wider for him. She felt his teeth just gently nip at the hooded cleft of her clitoris, but then he sucked it into his mouth, applying a kind of pressure she hadn't been prepared for.

"Peeta!" she cried, clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle her strangled moan. His eyes watched her, but she couldn't hold hers open, burying her head back against her pillow as she began to writhe under him. He reached up and pulled on her elbow, forcing her to uncover her mouth. His mouth paused its quest, releasing her clit momentarily.

"I wanna hear you, Katniss. You'll just have to be a little quieter," he said softly, and she could hear the amusement in his voice. Still, she nodded and tugged on his hair, indicating her wish for him to continue. He did, capturing her clit between his lips once again.

She sucked her lip into her mouth just as he did her clit, muffling her pained groan. He alternated between suckling and flicking the nub with his tongue, and soon she was gyrating her hips against his mouth, riding his face recklessly. Her breasts heaved with her quick breaths, and her mouth fell open, her moans low and deep, creating a steady staccato that filled her room. "Peeta," she moaned quietly, and she could feel the pleasure building sharply. "Oh, fuck, I'm gonna come."

He moaned in response and sucked harder, and with just a couple more insistent pulls of his mouth on her clit, she did, her back straining off the mattress as she came with a tortured cry. Peeta didn't stop until she sunk down into the mattress, boneless, and then he lapped at her folds, cleaning up her arousal. When he was done, he sat up and swiped the back of his hand over his mouth in a clumsy attempt to clean himself of her. Then he crawled over her, settling his body on top of hers but bracing his weight on his forearms. He nuzzled her ear, drawing her lobe between his teeth.

"You taste amazing," he murmured, and she wrapped her trembling arms around his back, trying to pull him closer. His shoulders felt smooth and hard under her palms, and she dragged her fingers down his back. "How did I go all this time not knowing how you taste?"

At that, she laughed airily, pressing her cheek against his. "Because I don't think oral sex was an accepted activity during nap time in kindergarten," she chastised, and he groaned loudly, pulling back. His look was stern, but he was grinning.

"Okay, ruin my dirty talk with creepy logic, thank you," he joked. She smirked at him, and he shook his head, touching his nose to hers. "Seriously, though. That taste is going to haunt me."

She felt oddly giddy at his words, and her cheeks hurt from smiling. She tried not to think about anything else but him, tried to ignore anything beyond this moment. He was cradled between her thighs, and she pushed up against him, drawing attention once again to his hard-on.

"Good," she said simply before capturing his lips in a kiss.

* * *

Maintaining a secret relationship was hard work, Katniss was realizing. She and Peeta had agreed to hide the new development in their friendship from not only their families but their friends as well. One, because Katniss couldn't deal with the smug "Told you so's" their friends were sure to lobby at them once they found out, and two, because they couldn't risk the news getting back to their parents. Things were going really well between Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark; their families had even celebrated Christmas together and exchanged gifts, like a family—a really fucked-up family, but a family nonetheless. It had been torture being so close to Peeta but not being able to touch him, not the way she wanted to, anyway. It took everything in her to not pull him in for a thoughtless kiss as they opened presents around the Christmas tree.

The sex was so much hotter that way, however; they were barely able to get the door shut in time after stumbling into his bedroom or hers, only the necessary clothes discarded as he took her on the desk, his hand covering her mouth to smother her shouts.

They were having similar problems at school, now that the new semester had started up. They still had the same lunch period with their friends, though she and Peeta no longer shared a class. She felt like she had even less time with him now, and she wanted nothing more than to just soak up every minute of his time when she was with him, but she still had to act normal around their friends.

Which was increasingly hard to do with the way he was currently trailing his fingers up and down her thigh, the action concealed by the lunch table they sat at. They were practically flush against each other, as close as they could get on the stools. His fingers moved dangerously close to her crotch, making her shudder; she tried to keep her eyes open and listen to whatever Finnick and Johanna were prattling on about, but his gentle ministrations were creating a delicious ache between her thighs.

She knew she should stop him; they were in the middle of the cafeteria, and once lunch was over, he was just going to leave her horny and wet and unsatisfied, and she wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it until he finished his shift at the bakery—or until she just took care of it herself.

Still, it was thrilling having him touch her like this and having everyone else be none the wiser about it.

Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, she risked a glance at him from under her lashes. He was idly contributing to the conversation, but when he sensed her stare, he looked over at her, falling silent. They stared at each other, the moment heavy as he brushed his fingers up to the crease of her thigh and pelvis, trailing them inward toward her groin. Her breath hitched, wetness seeping out of her, and he smirked slightly before withdrawing his fingers. She glowered at him in frustration.

She was going to kill him. If he didn't kill her first, anyway.

Katniss was vaguely aware when the bell rang, and she crumbled up her lunch bag as she stood up. Peeta followed suit, the two of them sneaking glances at each other as they trailed their friends out of the cafeteria with the hordes of students.

"See you guys later," Finnick said in parting, and Annie and Madge waved as the three of them headed to their next class. Johanna saluted them dramatically before dipping away, leaving just her and Peeta. He smiled at her.

"I'll walk with you," he said, falling in step beside her as she headed in the direction of her next class, shop class—an easy elective. She gave him a weird look.

"But your class isn't in this direction," she said, and he raised an eyebrow at her. He slipped his hand in hers then, tugging her down a different hallway suddenly.

"That's funny—neither is yours," he drawled as he led her by the hand. Her pulse spiked in her neck when she realized they were heading to the parking lot. Were they really going to...? Peeta turned to her then, bringing her to a stop in the hallway. Students milled around them, weaving past the obstacle they created. His brow creased slightly. "Are you okay with missing class?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

She scoffed. " _Me_? Are  _you_  okay with it, Mr. Overachiever?"

He grinned. "I think I can spare an absence or two." Her heart was pounding in anticipation as they walked hastily to the student parking lot, practically racing each other. They loitered around his car, Peeta pretending to be getting books and homework out of his backseat while the remaining students trudged inside before the final bell rang. Once the parking lot had cleared out, he pulled her inside and quickly shut the door. She went to crawl into his lap, but he twisted her underneath him, pinning her body between his and the seat. She squirmed, making a face.

"Wait, my backpack," she whispered, and he helped her out of it, dumping it in the foot of the back seat, but then his mouth was on hers as he kissed her desperately. She whimpered around his tongue, pulling on his shirt uselessly to draw him closer. His hips had fallen between her thighs, cradled by her own hips; their bodies were moving together absent-mindedly, the growing bulge in his pants creating an exquisite friction on her clitoris through her own pants.

"Peeta," she murmured, sucking his lip into her mouth. He lifted himself up onto his knees some and snaked a hand between their bodies, deftly undoing her pants so he could slip his hand underneath. Gasping, she jerked against him when his fingers slid through her folds. He teased her for a few minutes, rubbing her lips back and forth, slipping his fingers through her arousal as it pooled between her thighs. Her moans were lost in his mouth as he continued to kiss her, their breaths hot and needy on each other's face. When he finally took mercy on her and began stroking her clit, she let her head fall back as she let out a pleased moan.

Peeta balanced himself on his other hand, pulling away some to watch as he worked her over, his hand moving fast between her thighs. "Lift your shirt up for me," he commanded, and she obliged, pushing her shirt up to reveal her bra. Then she tugged her bra cups out of the way so her breasts were bare to him, fleetingly praying no tardy student wandered past his car at this point. Peeta eagerly lowered his mouth to her left breast, worrying the nipple with his teeth. He slowed down the movement of his fingers between her thighs, leisurely stroking her clit while he suckled at her breast, and she sighed blissfully. Her hips undulated of their own accord as she enjoyed his attentive ministrations, but soon he once again began rubbing her clit faster, harder, until she bucked against him, releasing a guttural moan as she came. He didn't let up until she came a second time, squirming underneath him, clawing at his back.

She slumped to the seat and closed her eyes, reveling in the soft, fluttering kisses he placed on her breasts as her heart rate turned to normal. He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, and she opened her eyes to look at him. He smiled as he stared at her, and she grew self-conscious. "What?"

He just shook his head. "It's just...I know your face so well. I've seen every expression you've ever made: happy, sad, pissed off, confused, annoyed—all of them. I know them all, been the cause of them all at some point or another, too. But..." he trailed off, flicking a strand of hair off her face. She just watched him, unsure where he was going with this. He stared intently at her, the corners of his mouth creasing in a faint smile. "All those years, and I'd never seen  _this_  face before, not until now." He grinned suddenly. "I like this face very much."

She laughed lightly, almost giddily. "Well, I'll keep making it as long as you keep doing what you're doing." With a chuckle, Peeta kissed her forehead. When she felt him buttoning her pants, she furrowed her brow in confusion. "Are we not going to have sex?"

He glanced down at her. "I didn't think to bring a condom with me to school today," he joked, reaching up to straighten her bra, but she stopped his hand. They stared at each other for a moment until Katniss finally spoke.

"I'm on birth control," she said, her fingers idly stroking his. "Didn't know if you were aware..." Peeta shook his head, his eyes locked on hers. She shrugged. "My mom put me on it awhile ago when she found out I wasn't a virgin anymore." That had been an interesting conversation. Of course, by that point, Katniss was no longer having sex, so it didn't matter much—but she couldn't say she didn't appreciate what it did for her periods and cramps.

"Oh," he whispered, still staring at her. "I...uh, I've never had sex without a condom before. With anyone."

Katniss bit down on her lip. "Me neither." They stared at each other for another moment, and he licked his lips.

"So you want me to...?" he trailed off uncertainly, and she nodded, tipping her chin up to graze her lips against his. He exhaled an "okay" against her mouth, carefully unfastening her pants again. She helped him push them and her panties down to her ankles by lifting her hips, then she assisted him with his own pants, pulling his hard cock out of his boxer-briefs. Their hands moved together to position him; her eyes closed when his head parted her folds, and he sighed softly, sliding his glans up and down her slit to coat it in her arousal. Then, he arched his hips, pushing into her halfway. "Oh, fuck," he groaned, his eyes rolling back when her walls reflexively tightened around him. Peeta pulled out some and pushed in again, giving a few shallow thrusts before sinking into her fully. Katniss moaned as he stretched her, filling her, and he dropped his head to her shoulder, his thrusts momentarily stilled. She held his waist loosely; she thought she could feel him shaking.

"You are something else," he groaned finally, his hips moving again slightly, and he lifted his head to look down at her. His eyes were glassy, his cheeks red. "Is it okay if I do this fast? I just—you feel so good, and I don't know if I can hold back right now."

She smiled, trying to bring her knees up some, but it was difficult with her pants trapping her feet. "I prefer that you did, honestly," she replied, sliding her hands between her head and the car door to buffer the banging it was sure to get. She didn't think school personnel patrolled the parking lot during classes, but she could only imagine the trouble they'd get into if anyone found them having sex in his car. And then their parents would be sure to find out...

Bracing his arm on the car door, Peeta pulled out and thrust into her, hard, bringing their hips flush. Katniss gasped quietly, but he kept going, his hips jutting against hers frantically. The rhythmic sound of their skin slapping together filled the car, his soft grunts echoing her moans. Her breasts jiggled with his quick thrusts, and she was sure it looked ridiculous, but Peeta had his eyes closed anyway, his face screwed up in pleasure and concentration.

"Shit, I'm gonna come," he gasped after a few minutes, thrusting harder, and she nodded, pulling his mouth to hers in a sloppy kiss. She held him there when he went still, panting against her lips as he spilled himself inside her, his cock pulsing.

When he finally opened his eyes, she smoothed his hair back from his forehead, damp with sweat. The car was stifling and hot now, especially with her jacket on, and she could feel her own sweat beading on her scalp. Flashing her a smile, Peeta pulled out of her and tucked himself back into his underwear, pulling his pants back up. She wrinkled her nose a little when she felt the cum seep out of her as she shifted underneath him, trying to grab her own pants. He helped her, sitting up on his knees so she could shimmy them back up her hips. Then they sat side by side, panting softly as they rested their heads on the back seat.

She felt his hand close around hers, and she looked over at him. He smiled at her, threading their fingers together; she returned the smile, leaning against him to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Well, that was fun," he mused, and she gave a small laugh, squeezing his hand. "I definitely don't feel like going back to class though. Wanna just go home?"

She lifted her head to scowl mockingly at him. "If we were just gonna go home, why didn't we wait to have sex there?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't wait. Car sex, man—who's going to pass that up?" he teased, tapping her chin, and then he crawled into the front seat behind the steering wheel. She rolled her eyes and climbed into the passenger seat. Suddenly, she had a thought, and she turned to him as he started his car.

"So, who all have you had sex with in this car?" she asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow. His face erupted into a blush, and he glanced at her sheepishly.

"Er, well...do you  _really_  want me to answer that question?" he hedged. She frowned thoughtfully.

"What, just because we're having sex now, you can't still talk to me like I'm your friend?"

He scratched the back of his neck nervously, keeping one hand on the wheel. "It's just weird, I guess," he admitted. She continued to stare at him expectantly, and he sighed. "I haven't had  _sex_  sex in here before, just, you know...blowjobs."

She hummed as she considered this and settled back into her seat. She could guess who it was—Glimmer. Peeta had only had this car since the summer, and she was the only girl he'd dated in that time frame.

Katniss guessed she could live with that knowledge. "So I'm the first girl you've had actual sex with in here then."

He grinned at her, reaching over to brush his knuckles against her hand. "The only." She just rolled her eyes again, but she couldn't resist teasing him.

"You're so romantic, Mellark," she taunted, and he shrugged, smiling at her as he glanced in the rearview mirror to back out of his spot. "You love me."

Her words wiped the smile from his face, and her own expression fell as the weight of her once-harmless statement took on a whole new meaning in the light of their recent activities. Shit.

Peeta recovered quickly, however, coughing slightly and putting his car back into drive. He smiled tightly, keeping his eyes focused ahead. "Of course, I do," he said flippantly, like a friend would,  _just_  a friend. Like he'd said many times before without it meaning something else, something a lover or boyfriend would say. Because they weren't dating; they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, she reminded herself.

She wasn't ready for this.

"I, uh, actually, I should get my car, too, if we're leaving," she said as casually as she could muster, and he nodded.

"Right, yeah, that makes sense." He turned down another row until he pulled up near her car, coming to a slow stop. She twisted toward the back seat to grab her backpack, pulling it into her lap. Without thinking, she found herself leaning across the center console to kiss him; when she caught herself, she paused, her eyes widening. He was watching her curiously, surprise evident in his own eyes. Shit, now it was weird—and it was even weirder that she'd stopped and drawn attention to the act. Stifling a sigh, she forced herself to carry through with it and pecked his lips, then she pulled away with a nonchalant smile.

"See you at your place!" she chirped, hastily throwing the door open and jumping out. She slammed the door shut before he could respond. Climbing into her own car, she huffed in annoyance at herself. She should have figured things would get weird. You can't just fuck your best friend and there not be repercussions. She had known things could get sticky, but all she had considered was the parent angle. She hadn't stopped to consider the whole feelings aspect.

Starting her car, Katniss considered the evolution of her relationship with Peeta; they hung out a lot, they spent a lot of time with the other's family and friends, they had sex, and, though she might have been confused as to what  _kind_  of love exactly, they loved each other, nonetheless.

She was dating her best friend. How the fuck did that happen?

* * *

It was after 11 when Katniss got home from a long shift at the movie theater; her mother was at the hospital, and Prim was once again at Rue's for the night. Katniss didn't even bother flipping on any lights as she trudged through the living room and up the stairs until she got into her bedroom, shutting her door behind her. She dropped her backpack in her desk chair and crossed to her closet to grab some pajamas from her dresser.

She was unprepared for the sight of Peeta when she swung the door open, however, and she screeched in terror before her brain could process that the intruder wasn't a threat. He started laughing immediately, and she glared at him, flattening her hand to her chest as her heart threatened to beat out of her rib cage. "Fuck, Peeta!" she huffed, and he grabbed her elbows to pull her against him, kissing her lips.

"Tag, you're it," he murmured against her mouth, and she scowled, pushing on his chest as she stepped back.

"Was this really necessary?" she asked drily, and he arched an eyebrow, stepping around her to exit the closet.

"No more than when you did it to me a few months ago, I guess," he quipped, plopping down on his back on her bed. Flinging her drawer open, Katniss snatched out a nightshirt and then closed the closet door behind her.

"Didn't you get me back that time you snuck into my house and had me thinking I was about to get  _murdered_?" she reminded him, glaring. "And what if I had started changing before I realized you were in the closet?"

He smiled up at her. "I was kind of hoping you would."

She wrinkled her nose, lifting her leg to kick his foot. "Perv," she said, but then she whipped off her shirt anyway. He watched her appraisingly as she stepped out of her pants and slipped on her nightshirt. When she was finished changing, he held his hand out to her, and she took it, climbing onto her bed to lay down next to him. "So what are you doing here?" she asked, resting her head on his chest. That afternoon had been a little awkward after their flub in his car, and they hadn't talked since they'd both gone to work. At least, he was acting normally again.

"What, I can't just want to scare the shit out of my friend without an ulterior motive?" he asked, his hand deftly unwrapping the elastic band holding her braid together so he could fan his fingers through her hair. She shook her head, her eyes falling shut at the feeling. "Well, you said your mother and Prim would be gone for the night..."

She smiled to herself and poked his side. "So you came for sex?"

He chuckled. "I mean, that sounded like  _you_  wanted me to come for sex." She sighed as he scraped his fingers over her scalp. "Nah, I actually came to talk. But I won't complain if sex happens."

Frowning slightly, she opened her eyes. "Talk about what?" she asked carefully, not liking how serious this sounded.

Peeta cleared his throat and shifted out from underneath her, setting her head on a pillow so they were facing each other. "Don't freak out, okay?" he preempted, and she frowned deeper.

"Well, when you preface something like  _that_ —"

He smiled, cutting her off. "It's not bad. Well, I don't think it's bad. Although,  _you_  might think it's bad...It complicates things, I guess. But..." he trailed off, his eyes searching her face. "I was thinking about earlier, in the car, and...I  _do_  love you."

Her heart lodged in her throat. "I know..." she said uneasily. The skin creased between his eyebrows just slightly.

"Do you? I mean, I know you know I love you. But what I mean is—I'm  _in love_  with you," he said, his eyes startlingly blue and honest.

It was hard to breathe as her mind reeled from his confession. "Oh," she choked out. He squinted at her, studying her reaction, then he smiled again.

"I know. I told you it complicates things." They fell silent for a moment as Katniss tried to process the turn in the conversation. "How do you feel?" he finally asked, and she knew he meant beyond just that moment.

Swallowing thickly, she rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. "I don't know," she said, afraid to look at him, afraid to consider the possibility. She could hear him breathing; it was a little heavier than usual, but otherwise he didn't seem too perturbed.

He hummed thoughtfully at her response. "Well...I think you feel the same," he said softly, and her breath hitched in her chest. Closing her eyes, she released the air trapped in her lungs. He was right, of course. He was always right. How could she not be in love with him? Still, it was a tough thing to admit to herself, let alone to him.

"Maybe..." she whispered. He moved closer and slid his hand across her stomach, pulling her against him.

"I know you just wanted to do this sex thing, not tell anybody, and then just go back to the way things were when the time came, but I don't think I can do that anymore. Do you?"

She took a deep breath. "Probably not," she admitted, covering his hand with her own. He rested his head on the pillow next to her. "But...our parents..."

Peeta nodded. "I know. We kind of made a mess of things, huh?" That was an understatement. "I want my dad to be happy, I really do, but I just...I want to be with you, Katniss."

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, tightening her hand around his. "What if it's just...a temporary feeling, Peeta? You could change your mind in college, you know. It's a different time. But our parents are at a point in their lives where...feelings don't change so easily."

She could almost feel his smile. "Katniss, I've known you since kindergarten. First, middle school was a different time. And then high school was a different time. But wanting to be with you has never been a feeling that's changed. Well, except now I want to have  _sex_  all the time when I am with you," he cracked lightly, and she smiled briefly before it slipped away again. "It won't change, not for me. Our parents can still do whatever they're doing if they want. I just...I think we should try this, you and me. And tell people. Sneaking around is fun, for a little while, but sometimes I just want to grab you and kiss you and not have to look around to see if anyone's watching, you know?"

Sighing, she rolled back onto her side to face him and tucked her head under his chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her. "I know."

"So what do you want to do?" he asked, and she took a moment to respond, mulling it over.

"I want to be with you," she answered honestly, her heart racing at the declaration. He seemed to deflate in relief, and he tightened his hold on her.

"So...we'll tell them?" he asked, and she nodded. Untangling his arms from around her, he pulled back slightly to cup her face; his smile was infectious, and she found herself returning it despite her nerves. He kissed her then, slow and sweet, before he murmured against her mouth, "I love you."

She inhaled shakily, trying to siphon some of his resolve and steadiness. Then she told him. "I love you, too." His smile widened, and he kissed her again, this time with more heat as he rolled her underneath him, settling his body on top of hers.

* * *

Katniss was a nervous wreck. Peeta looked more relaxed, but she could tell he was antsy, too. They were having dinner with their parents and Prim; with their parents in one place, she and Peeta planned to tell them about the two of them dating, but she didn't really want to have the conversation around Prim. She hoped she and Peeta could corner them in the kitchen later, or somewhere where her sister was out of earshot, and then they could tell them then.

Throughout the meal, Peeta kept squeezing her hand under the table, smiling at her reassuringly. By the end of dinner, Katniss felt more resolved. They could do this. It would be fine. Her mother seemed to already suspect there was something between her and Peeta, so she wouldn't be too surprised, Katniss was sure. They might even be happy.

Katniss was scraping her plate of the last crumbs of cherry pie and had just convinced herself everything would be okay when Mr. Mellark cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention. "So, Florence and I had another reason for getting everyone together for dinner," he started, sharing a coy glance with Ms. Everdeen. "We have some news we wanted to share with you all."

Katniss felt her mouth turn down slightly at his words, and she carefully put her fork down, looking at Peeta. His frown mirrored her own, but he quickly displaced it with a neutral expression. "What is it?" he asked, feigning ease.

Mr. Mellark and Ms. Everdeen glanced at each other again, smiles breaking out on their faces. She placed her hand over top of his, which rested on the table, and he squeezed back. "Well, we know it might seem really soon, but we  _have_  known each other for a long time, and when we started dating again, we kind of picked up where we left off back in high school. Things just fell into place with us—" He was rambling, so Ms. Everdeen piped up, a broad, angelic smile gracing her lips.

"What he's trying to say is—Faren and I have decided to get married."


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, turns out I didn't get this chapter up any faster than the previous one. My sincerest apologies for the delay. Writer's block has been a bitch lately, but I think I'm finally getting back into the groove...
> 
> Anyway, this is the last chapter. Thank you so much for reading and leaving wonderful reviews and being so patient while I worked through this story! Hopefully, this conclusion is satisfactory...I'm worried it's kind of rushed and weak, but I didn't want to keep you guys hanging any longer, and I just really wanted to wrap this up.

" _Married_?"

Katniss was the first to break the stunned silence that had settled over the dining room, her voice damn near screechy as she stared at her mother and Mr. Mellark, utterly dumbfounded. With the moment shattered, Prim squealed in delight, practically bouncing in her chair.

"Oh, my god, seriously?!"

The two adults smiled indulgently at her, still holding hands, and they both nodded at her. "We're not doing a traditional sort of engagement—we're too old for that," Ms. Everdeen laughed airily, and Mr. Mellark grinned at her. Prim jumped out of her seat and darted around the table to engulf them in a hug, chattering about how excited she was.

Neither Katniss nor Peeta had budged yet. Only one word kept reverberating through her head.

_Married_?

It had only been a few  _months_...How could they already be that serious about each other? Had she and Peeta been oblivious to how fast things were moving, too wrapped up in each other?

And god, here they were, ready to declare their own relationship—and their parents beat them to the punch with a marriage announcement! What the hell were they supposed to do? She finally glanced sideways at Peeta, but he was still staring at their parents, a lost, befuddled expression shrouding his face. What was he thinking?

No, she knew what he was thinking—she was sure his thoughts were following the same trajectory as hers. He had to be just as clueless as to what they were supposed to do  _now_.

"Katniss?"

"Peeta?"

Their parents' voices jarred Katniss back into the moment, and she turned her wide eyes back to them. They were watching them expectantly, apprehension but cautious hope present in their own eyes. "Honey, are you okay with this?" her mother asked tentatively. "I know this must be a shock, but—well, when we talked a while ago, you seemed on board with my relationship with Faren."

Well, that was before Katniss had started fucking his son and fell in love with him.

She felt an uncomfortable flush spread up her neck, and she swallowed thickly. For some reason, she still couldn't get her mouth to move; she didn't know what to say, anyway. Again, she looked to Peeta, helpless.

"Peeta, you haven't said anything yet," his father tried, studying him closely. "How do you feel?"

Peeta's mouth opened and closed wordlessly for a moment, as if he, too, was struggling with a response, but then he forced a smile onto his mouth. "Congratulations," he said, convincingly enough, but Katniss could discern the lack of real enthusiasm. Still, she gaped at him as he stood up from his chair and walked around to hug his dad and Ms. Everdeen.

What was he  _doing_? She'd expected him to save face, play off the moment as he was so apt to do—but he was actually  _congratulating_ them? Giving them his blessing for their marriage? Weren't they supposed to get their parents' blessing for their own relationship?

Katniss sat stupidly, forgotten in the moment as the four of them hugged and laughed with elation at the news.

What the  _hell_ was happening?

* * *

She cornered Peeta in the hallway later, practically seething; she'd had to endure an hour of pretending to be okay with everything, listening to their parents gush about the other and their future plans. The only good news she'd gleaned from the discussion was that they weren't planning to get married just yet—it would at least wait until summer, after the school year was over.

She'd had an entire hour to stew in her confusion and growing anger; she was mad at everyone, but at that moment she was directing it all at Peeta. She practically shoved him into the wall when they'd finally escaped from the others.

"What the hell is going on?" she hissed, keeping her voice low. The others were still in the living room, playing a game of "Scene It."

Sighing, Peeta ran a hand through his curls and shook his head. "Not here," he said quietly, glancing over his shoulder before lightly gripping her wrist. "Let's talk in my room."

He led her up the stairs, and she bit her tongue until he had the door shut. "Congratulations?!" she exploded, and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"What did you want me to say? That's typically what you say in situations like this," he said evasively, and she glared at him.

"Oh, I don't know—how about, 'Holy shit, you guys want to get married after only a few months?! That's ludicrous!'"

He shrugged, shuffling to his bed. "It's not that ludicrous—I mean, would you have been this indignant had you and I not started dating? Getting them hitched was our original plan, you know," he reminded her, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"Except that's the thing—we  _are_ dating!" she said, waving her hands wildly. "And by the way—why didn't we tell them that like we'd planned?"

He turned his gaze to her, his eyebrows shooting up. "You wanted to tell them at  _that_ moment? Just like that, after that news? How did you imagine us working it in—'Oh, hey, I'm really happy for you, Ms. Everdeen, but actually, I want to continue fucking your daughter, so could you maybe  _not_ marry my father?"

Katniss pretended to consider this. "Umm, yeah, actually, that sounds perfect!" she snapped, and he rolled his eyes. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she was too worked up now. She stared him down until he sighed again, dropping his head into his hands with a groan.

"It's just...I don't know, Katniss," he said, his voice muffled, and she planted her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

He shook his head, his hands still covering his face. "It's different for you..." he said quietly after a momentary pause. "Your family was different. Your father was a good person; he was good to your mother. You had a good example of a healthy marriage, and you had a happy childhood. You and Prim. Your parents were in love, and they were happy." He lifted his head finally to look at her, and she stared at him in confusion, wondering where he was going with this. "My dad didn't have that. You know my mother. Maybe at one point they were in love, but I never witnessed it. They were miserable, and they made us all miserable when they were together. My dad didn't deserve that. He deserves to be happy. He deserves a wife who loves him and would give him the life he denied himself for the sake of his children. And, what, I'm going to take that away from him? Tell him he can't have that now just because I want you?" Peeta shook his head sadly. "I don't know. I just don't know what to do. How can I do that to him? I can't be that selfish."

For the second time that night, Katniss couldn't believe what she was hearing. This couldn't be happening.

"You have  _got_ to be kidding me," she whispered, but he didn't respond or look at her, his elbows braced against his knees as he stared at the floor. She felt the rage flare up inside her again. "So you're saying you don't want to do this anymore—with me."

"I'm not saying that, Katniss—" he started wearily, but she cut him off, her nostrils flaring.

"But you're saying you don't plan to tell them about us anymore, and you want to let them get married, subsequently putting a stop to—to whatever it is you and I are doing," she said flatly, barely managing to constrain the anger quelling inside her.

He took a deep breath before meeting her eyes again. His expression was pained. "I don't  _want_ to, but—"

"I can't believe you!" she hissed at him, her outrage flooding her words. She clenched her fists at her sides, trying to stop the shaking. "After everything, after all those things you said to me—after all the things you  _made_ me say to you—after you  _forced_ me to admit my feelings and put myself out there—now you want to back out?!"

The color left his face as he stared at her, and he stood up. "Katniss, I never meant to—I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to  _force_ you into anything—"

"But you did!" she yelled, taking a step closer to him. "Fuck you, Peeta! I can't believe you're doing this to me!" She shoved him; he didn't budge, though his face was one of shock, so she shoved his chest again. "Fuck you!" This time, he grabbed her hands to stop her.

"Katniss—"

"No, fuck you, Peeta!" she snarled, trying to simultaneously push against him and twist out of his grip, but he tightened his hold, pulling her into his arms. She squirmed, but he held her tight against him.

"Stop, Katniss," he commanded authoritatively, but his voice was soft. His arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and she gave up fighting him. "I'm sorry," he whispered fiercely against the side of her head. "I'm so sorry. I don't—I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you, okay? I just...I'm sorry. This is just so confusing and convoluted, and I don't know what the right thing to do is."

She deflated at his words, his embrace sapping all the fight out of her. She dropped her forehead to his shoulder and closed her eyes. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't know what the right thing to do was either.

"I'm sorry," he repeated after a few minutes of silence, nothing but their heavy breathing filling his room. He loosened his arms around her, but he brought one hand up to stroke her hair. The gesture was soothing. "I didn't mean to make you think—please don't think I don't want to be with you anymore because I do. God, there's nothing I want more. I just...I don't know what to do, Katniss. I don't know what to do."

She just groaned pitifully and buried her face against his neck, fisting her hands in his shirt.

What an absolute clusterfuck they'd made.

* * *

Madge was droning on about her recent date with Gale to Johanna and Annie, but Katniss had tuned her out. She was hanging out with the girls at her house, since her mother was at the hospital for the night, but she was honestly too preoccupied by her dilemma with Peeta and their parents to contribute to the conversation or festivities. It'd been all she could think about for days; she wished she could talk to somebody about it, get some advice as to what the hell they should do, but they still hadn't told anyone about their relationship.

Before, it had been exciting and fun, but now the secrecy was just a pain in the ass. And Peeta was being less than helpful. They'd barely hung out since their parents had broken the engagement news, let alone spoken about the situation.

"Katniss?"

She startled at her name, turning her eyes on her friends who were watching her curiously. Madge's eyebrows were furrowed with concern. "Huh?" Katniss asked stupidly.

"Is this bothering you? Me talking about Gale? I'm sorry, I'll shut up—"

"No!" she interjected hurriedly, shaking her head. "No, it's not that at all. I'm happy for you, I swear. I just—" she broke off with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She was too rattled to come up with a believable excuse.

Johanna quirked an eyebrow at her. "You've been strung tight all week, what gives?"

Katniss stared at her, deliberating silently, before she sighed again. Fuck it. She was tired of keeping this to herself. It was too exhausting, and eventually it was all going to blow up in her and Peeta's faces, anyway. Hell, it already had.

"My mom and Peeta's dad are getting married," she said bluntly, and her friends gasped.

"Whoa!"

"That's awesome—"

"Congratulations!"

Katniss decided to cut them off. "And Peeta and I are having sex." There—it was out there. She held her breath as she surveyed their faces, waiting for the news to sink in—

"What the  _fuck_?!" Johanna exploded first, and Katniss cringed. The exclamation seemed to set the others off, because Annie and Madge emitted some high-pitched shriek simultaneously.

"You two are  _doing it_?!" Madge screeched. "Oh my god, when did this happen?! How? Why didn't you say something sooner?!"

Katniss' face felt like it was on fire, but she scowled defensively. "Did you not hear the first thing I said? Our parents are dating—they're getting  _married_ — _that's_  why we didn't say anything!"

"Wait—how long has this been going on, you and Peeta hooking up?" Annie asked seriously. Katniss looked at her fingernails, picking at them absent-mindedly.

"A few weeks, more, I guess," she said quietly, dreading their response. Johanna made a sound like she was choking on her spit.

"Holy shit,  _that_ long and you never said anything?" she accused, and Katniss shrugged half-heartedly.

"We thought it would be weird..."

"But when did this happen exactly?" Madge demanded.

Katniss blushed harder. "Um...that night of Gale's party before Christmas," she mumbled.

Johanna stood up from the chair abruptly and stomped closer, plopping down in front of her on the floor. "Details, Everdeen. I want all the dirty, nasty details."

Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms. "We just...we kinda hooked up in the coat closet at Gale's—"

"Is this when Peeta freaked out and ran off?" Annie interrupted, and Katniss nodded.

"And the next day I went over to his house, and we talked, and...well, we had sex. A lot." She flushed at the memory. Johanna snorted.

"Is that all we get? Don't hold back on us now!"

Katniss shook her head. "What do you want me to say, Jo? You know how sex works!"

Madge leaned forward, a devilish grin spreading across her face. "Is it good?"

Katniss sank back into the couch, embarrassed. "It's...great. Really, really great. Amazing and—and mind-blowing, actually. We can't keep our hands off each other."

Both Madge and Annie sighed dreamily, but Johanna barked out a laugh. "You guys couldn't keep your hands off each other before you started having sex either, brainless. I fucking knew it. Dammit, I knew I should have taken Finnick up on that bet," she groused, and Katniss scowled at her. Johanna held her hands up defensively. "Hey, didn't we try to warn you this would happen? Don't act surprised that you wanna ride Blondie's dick now that your parents are hooking up."

Sighing, Katniss dropped her head back on the couch to stare at the ceiling. She could feel the others' sympathetic stares on her. "What are you two going to do? About your parents getting married, I mean?" Annie asked.

"I don't know. We don't know. Peeta freaked out,  _again_ , because—" She stopped herself. She didn't know how comfortable she felt divulging everything about their relationship, about how much more than sex it really was now.

"Hey, for what it's worth, it's not technically illegal to hook up with your step-siblings, you know," Johanna offered, grinning deviously at her friend when Katniss whipped her head up to glare at her.

"Not funny, Jo." Illegal or not, it would be fucking  _weird_. And high school was already torturous enough without adding the cruel jokes and snickering from the other students she and Peeta were sure to endure.

Johanna shrugged, cracking open a new can of beer from the coffee table and pressing it into Katniss' hand. "Maybe not to you. Look, have some alcohol and tell your dear friends exactly what's got you so down about this," she cooed obnoxiously. "And don't hold back this time."

Katniss wavered for a moment, staring at the can in her hand, but then she brought it to her mouth and downed half of it in just a few gulps. She was starting to feel hopeful. Maybe this would help. Maybe her friends would have some fucking clue as to what she and Peeta should do.

She was out of ideas, otherwise.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Annie asked fretfully as she pulled her car up in front of Peeta's house later that night. Johanna nodded, shoving Katniss toward the door.

"It's a brilliant idea," she insisted, slurring slightly, and Katniss finally slapped her friend's hands away before throwing the car door open.

"Thanks for the ride, guys," she whispered loudly. Madge and Annie waved from the front seat, grinning widely at her. After her talk with them, and a few beers, Katniss decided she needed to see Peeta, immediately. Her friends were more than encouraging.

Johanna grinned at her, leaning out the door. "Go get 'im, Kitty Kat," she purred before slamming the door shut. Katniss flailed as the sound echoed down the empty street, shushing the car uselessly before giggling. With a final wave to her friends, she spun around and wobbled up to the front door. It was nearly 2 in the morning, and all the lights were off, so she was sure at least Mr. Mellark was asleep. Katniss struggled with her key in the lock, finally getting the door open after a moment. Once inside, she crept up the stairs, freezing fearfully when she bumped a picture frame on the wall. It didn't fall, however, and she released the breath she was holding and carefully climbed the remaining steps. At Peeta's door, she paused to listen for sound inside; it was silent. Quietly twisting the knob, she pushed his door open and tip-toed into his room, careful to close the door just as quietly behind her. His room was dark, but she could make out his form on the bed as her eyes adjusted. His soft breathing filled the room, and she smiled to herself, already whipping her shirt over her head and wiggling out of her pants and shoes.

He didn't stir as she climbed into his bed, not until she flattened her body against his back. He jerked awake with a grunt, and she pressed kisses to the side of his face. "What the fu—Katniss?" he asked groggily, and she nodded, nipping at his jawline.

"Tag," she breathed out, her lips stretching into a smile when she heard his incredulous, half-asleep laugh.

"Seriously? That's why you're here?" he asked, his voice scratchy, and he twisted underneath her so they were face to face.

"And 'cuz I want you," she replied simply, sliding her hands over his shoulders to the back of his neck. He finally noticed her state of undress, and she could see his eyes widen as he glanced down at her underwear-clad body.

"Well...shit," he whispered, his hands coming up to grab her hips. She smiled and lowered her mouth to his, eagerly drawing him into a kiss. She stroked his tongue with her own, moaning softly when he repeated the action.

He finally broke the kiss after a few minutes, panting slightly. "You've been drinking..." he pointed out, his fingers skimming her bare sides. She shuddered and nodded.

"Mmhmm, just a little with the girls," she answered, sitting up some so she could shimmy down his body. She pushed the blanket down to expose his skin to her mouth as she trailed kisses down his chest. He sighed, and she found the words slipping out. "I told them about us."

Peeta tensed under her. "You—what? You told our friends about— _this_?" he repeated, and she nodded, glancing up at him before she licked a circle around his navel. The muscles flexed in his stomach, and she could feel him growing harder through his sleep pants.

"I needed to talk to somebody, and you were being a butthole," she whispered, kissing a line at his waistband. "Are you mad at me?"

His breathing was growing increasingly more ragged. "I—no, no, not mad—I just...I wish you'd, ah, told me you were gonna do that since—since we don't even...don't even know what we're going to do," he forced out, struggling to voice his thoughts. "Ah, what did they say?"

She shrugged, rubbing his erection through his pants. He hissed in pleasure. "They approve," she said; she was actually having a hard time recalling what they'd discussed. No one seemed to have any advice as to what they should do; they just wanted to hear about the sex. Which had made her incredibly horny as she relayed the information to them, and that was when she'd gotten the brilliant idea to come see him.

"That's good, I guess, but—" His words died as she inched his pants and boxer-briefs down his hips, freeing his cock. It sprung up, resting against his abdomen, and she marveled at the sight of it, taking it in hand. He groaned, sitting up on his elbows. "Katniss, what are you—oh, fuck," he gasped when she encircled her mouth around his head. Her tongue teased the slit, licking up his pre-cum. His cock seemed to swell even more in her hand, and she began pumping his shaft as she sucked on his head, wetting it thoroughly with her saliva. She tried to fit in as much of him as she could, but it wasn't a lot. Peeta's hand tangled in her hair, and she released him momentarily to lick his shaft. "Shit, Katniss," he moaned when she took him back into her mouth. Her fist tightened around him, stroking him faster. "Fuck...fuck, I'm gonna come soon."

She hollowed her cheeks around him, sucking harder to encourage him, and when she felt him push on her head slightly, his fingers curling in her hair, she pushed him farther into her mouth to swallow his cum. Peeta groaned, his hips jerking slightly, and his head fell back to his pillow as he emptied himself into her mouth. She held him there until his cock finished pulsing, and then she released him, giving his head one last lick before she moved back up his body.

"I want you to fuck me," she murmured, and he cracked his eyes open to look at her. He chuckled gruffly.

"Well, gimme a moment," he replied, his cheeks flushed, and she settled on top of him for another long, thorough kiss. "I think we need to talk about this, though, now that our friends know," he insisted against her mouth, turning his face slightly to break the kiss. "I'm sorry I was distant this week—"

Katniss shook her head, tugging at his bottom lip with her teeth. She didn't care right that moment. "Later. I'm horny," she dismissed, and he laughed quietly, rolling her onto her back. He took a moment to kick his pants off before positioning himself between her thighs. She hurriedly took her bra off, sighing in relief when he closed his mouth around the tip of one breast. She squirmed underneath him until his hand dipped into her panties, his fingers plying her folds apart. She gasped when he curled two fingers inside her, pumping roughly.

"Peeta," she whimpered, angling her hips against his hand better, and he pulled his fingers out to rub her clit, his teeth clamping down around her nipple simultaneously. She keened approvingly, bucking her hips under him to create more friction. It felt good, but she knew she wasn't going to orgasm.

"Are you gonna come?" he asked after he'd kept up his ministrations for a few minutes, and she shook her head.

"No, too much alcohol," she whispered, bringing a hand up to play with her other breast. He nudged her hand away with his nose to suck that nipple into his mouth. "But it feels good. I just want you inside me."

He groaned in response, pushing his fingers back inside her, hard. She cried out, but he withdrew his fingers to tease her lips, spreading her arousal around for lubrication. "You're so wet," he murmured, and she nodded frantically, helping him remove her panties.

"Are you hard yet?" she panted, and he nodded as he settled back between her thighs; his erection brushed against her thigh, and she opened wider for him. He wasted no time pushing into her, eliciting guttural moans from both of them. He thrust a few times before she pushed on his chest to stop him. "No, wait, from behind." She was feeling particularly needy and demanding right then, thanks to the alcohol and the frustration that had been mounting all week.

Peeta pulled out of her and waited for her to twist onto her stomach, spreading her legs again so he could push back into her. Grabbing his pillow, she stuffed it between her body and the bed to elevate her hips some. Peeta lay flush against her back as he fucked her, his weight propped up on his forearms on either side of her.

"You are amazing," he whispered against her ear, awed. Katniss buried her face against the mattress, stifling her moans every time he thrust into her.

"Oh god, that feels good, Peeta," she gasped. He grunted, moving faster. She squeezed her walls around his cock, and he bit down on her shoulder. "You feel so, so good. Harder,  _please_."

He complied, the bed creaking loudly with his efforts. His heavy breathing mirrored her muffled moans. "God, I love you, Katniss," he groaned, and she moaned in response. She was too drunk, too gone, to feel any inhibitions regarding her feelings.

"I love you too. So much. Oh, fuck...please, please,  _please_ ," she pleaded incoherently as she pressed her cheek into the mattress harder, squeezing her eyes shut. Peeta grunted, his thrusts growing more frenzied and erratic until he went still with a soft groan, spilling himself inside her.

"Shit, I'm coming," he gasped, and she felt his cock throbbing as he spilled his semen inside her. She kept her eyes closed, reveling in the feeling, but after a moment, he slipped out of her, collapsing next to her. Instinctively, she moved toward him, curling up against his side. He just held her loosely as he gathered his bearings, his chest rising and falling rapidly with his quick breaths.

"Well," he chuckled after a moment. "That was a nice middle-of-the-night surprise." She hummed in agreement, resting her head on his chest. His heartbeat reverberated in her ear, relaxing her.

"Sleepy time," she yawned, closing her eyes. She knew she should get up and clean off, but the exhaustion was creeping in, fast. Peeta wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her tighter.

"Okay, but you gotta leave early," he whispered and pulled the blanket up to cover them. He sounded tired, too. "I gotta open the bakery with my dad in the morning."

"Mmhmm," she agreed, already feeling herself drift off.

* * *

Katniss wasn't sure what woke her up exactly, but she registered Peeta's gasp a split second before he shot up in bed, knocking her off his chest. She grunted in surprise, squinting at him. "Shit," he hissed, and she frowned.

"What?" she croaked.

But he wasn't looking at her, his gaze trained on the door beyond her. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening at the sight of Mr. Mellark in the doorway. He looked equally as shocked as he stared at them, his hand gripping the door knob. With a delayed gasp, Katniss sunk farther under the covers, hoping all of her body was concealed from him. Oh,  _fuck_.

"Dad—" Peeta started shakily, clutching the blanket to his stomach, but his dad cleared his throat.

"Get dressed, you two. Now. Then come downstairs. We're going to talk about this." Mr. Mellark's face looked ashen as he carefully shut the door behind him. Neither she nor Peeta moved for a moment until he huffed loudly, tugging on his curls.

"Fuck!" he cursed, looking at his clock on the nightstand. "I overslept—I must not have heard my alarm.  _Fuck_."

Katniss was stunned, her brain still too foggy with sleep to really comprehend the situation other than the fact that Peeta's dad had just caught her in his son's bed. But that wasn't exactly that out of the norm for her, right? "Do you think—I mean, maybe he doesn't—do you think he realized we'd had sex?" she asked.

Peeta reached across the bed to grab her bra and panties, which had been forgotten about after she'd stripped them off, shooting her a look when he handed them to her. "We're naked. Yeah, I'm sure he figured it out."

Her face paled as her stomach dropped. Fuck. This was not how she'd ever wanted their parents to find out about her and Peeta. "Oh god," she whimpered, pulling the covers over her head. Her head was throbbing with a headache, and she wasn't sure if it was fear or the alcohol making her stomach churn. She felt the bed shift as Peeta climbed out and got dressed.

"Come on, Katniss," he said quietly. "I guess they were bound to find out eventually."

Defeated, she hid under the covers as she slipped her underwear and bra back on, then she crawled out of bed to put on the rest of her clothes. She made an attempt to smooth down her hair, but she and Peeta had a hard time looking at each other as they left his room and headed downstairs. Her heart was pounding as they found Mr. Mellark in the kitchen. He had a stern look on his face, and she hid behind Peeta.

"Sit," he commanded, gesturing to a couple of bar stools. They obeyed without question, sitting in silence until he sighed, rubbing his temple. "How long has this been going on?"

Peeta coughed a little. "Um, what do you mean by  _this_ exactly—"

"You know what I'm talking about," his father cut him off, an edge to his voice. Peeta cleared his throat.

"Ah, I guess..." He glanced at Katniss, but she kept her eyes down, her cheeks filling with warmth. "A little before Christmas."

Mr. Mellark made a noise in the back of his throat. "Are you two being safe?"

Oh god, she didn't think it was possible to be any more embarrassed, but she'd been wrong. "Of course, dad," Peeta stressed, an almost adolescent whine to his voice.

"Good," his father said. Then he sighed. "I'm not particularly thrilled to know that my teenage son is having sex in my house—with my fiancee's teenage daughter, at that. But I guess realistically speaking, I'm not surprised. Well, I'm kind of surprised. A lot surprised, actually, that it's the two of you—why didn't you two mention you were dating?"

Katniss risked a glance at Peeta; his face was red and chagrined. He shrugged. "We didn't...I mean, with you and Katniss' mom, it just seemed...imprudent to mention. And then you guys announced your engagement. We didn't know what to do."

Mr. Mellark sighed again, rubbing a hand over his face. "I guess this is kind of a pickle, huh?" he mused. "I need to talk to Florence, I think."

Katniss' eyes widened. "You're gonna tell her?" she asked fearfully, and he pinned her with a look.

"I kind of have to, don't I?" He didn't wait for an answer to his rhetorical question. "Peeta, take her home. And then get on over to the bakery. I'll see you there." He walked off, leaving them at the kitchen island. They exchanged weary looks.

"Well..." Peeta started, swallowing thickly. "I guess...the cat's out of the bag now. Maybe that's a good thing."

She didn't know. She scratched absently at the tile on the kitchen island with her fingernail. "How do you think my mom's gonna react?"

"I have no idea. I hope she doesn't flay me alive for defiling her daughter, at least..." he trailed off, and she pursed her lips together. Her mother hadn't been thrilled to learn her oldest daughter had been having sex, but she was the one to put her on birth control. She couldn't get too mad, could she?

The fact that it was Peeta, though—Katniss couldn't figure out how her mother was going to react to that particular piece of news.

With a groan, Peeta stood up from his stool. "Let's go. I gotta get to work. This is gonna be a fun day." Hopping off her own stool, Katniss shuffled behind him out the door without another word.

* * *

Katniss was glad she had to work all day at the movie theater and wouldn't be at the house when her mother got home from the hospital. She had no idea when Mr. Mellark was going to talk to her mother, and she periodically received texts from Peeta throughout the day.

_Fuck this is awkward._

_He's barely spoken to me._

_I can't tell if he's disappointed in me or just still in shock._

His texts just riled her up even more as she anticipated her mother's response. She was almost relieved that everything was out in the open, though—she just would have preferred to have a better game plan instead of waiting for their parents to dictate the moves.

When she got home that evening, her stomach dropped at the sight of her mom's car in the driveway. It was now or never, she guessed. Quietly, she slipped into the house, hoping against hope that her mother had decided to nap right then, but she nearly screamed out loud when she heard her name being called from the kitchen.

"Katniss, get in here," her mother ordered solemnly. Stifling a defeated sigh, Katniss wandered into the kitchen. Her mother sat at the kitchen island, studying her daughter intently. She knew.

Fuck. Katniss swallowed hard. "How was work?" she asked, hoping to distract her, but Ms. Everdeen was having none of it.

"Why didn't you tell me you were having sex with Peeta?"

Katniss froze, unprepared for such a blunt question. The tone of her mother's voice left no room for arguing. Suddenly, her mouth felt dry, and she tried to swallow again. She was actually getting kind of annoyed with that question. Wasn't it obvious why they hadn't told anyone? "Well, you and his dad..."

Her mother furrowed her eyebrows. "But I tried to ask you before if you were okay with this, if you and Peeta—"

"We weren't doing anything  _then_ ," Katniss said, exasperated. "It happened...after. And then you two were getting serious and then you were engaged, and what could we say?"

"Katniss." Her mother's voice was stern. "I don't expect you to tell me everything; I get that you're a teenager, and you like your privacy, and I understand you still harbor some resentment toward me from when your father—"

"I don't resent you," she insisted defensively, and her mother held up her hand.

"But I'm a nurse. And your mother. Your safety and health are my number one concerns. I'm not trying to encourage particular behaviors at this age, but I just don't like being blindsided by your sexual activity after the fact. Do you understand? I'm not trying to judge you, but I just want to make sure, first and foremost, that you and Peeta are being careful."

Her face burned in embarrassment. "Yes, we are," she mumbled. Her mother sighed in relief.

"Okay, good. Now that that's out of the way—honey, how serious are you about Peeta?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to stall. She had enough trouble confessing her feelings to Peeta, the person she felt them for; talking about them so honestly with her mother was uncomfortable.

"Do you love him?" her mother clarified, holding her gaze. "And I don't mean as a friend or as family—I know you care for him deeply—but are you in love with him?" Katniss felt her breath stutter in her chest, and it took her a moment to force the answer out.

"Yes," she whispered weakly. Her mother nodded resolutely.

"And he's in love with you, I assume?"

Katniss nodded, folding her arms across her stomach to try to futilely calm her nerves. Her mother didn't speak for a moment before she sighed. "Okay, well, I guess Faren and I need to talk again."

Katniss cleared her throat. "What are you...what are you two gonna do?" she asked nervously, but her mother shrugged.

"I don't know. He was going to talk to Peeta after work, and then we were going to discuss this further. I'll let you know, okay?" she said, standing up. Katniss just nodded as her mother passed by her and squeezed her daughter's arm before heading up the stairs. Katniss released the breath she was holding before drawing in another shaky one.

She guessed that wasn't so bad after all. But now she was going to be a nervous wreck until their parents talked again. With a pitiful groan, she dragged herself up the stairs to her room to text Peeta and find out how his talk with his dad had gone.

* * *

Katniss hadn't slept well the night after her talk with her mother, so she spent the majority of Sunday afternoon napping. She was groggy when she woke up but hungry, so she stumbled down the stairs to find something to eat. She was shocked to find Peeta, Mr. Mellark and her mother in the living room and pulled up short at the bottom of the steps. Her mother turned when she heard the floor creak.

"Oh, I was just going to wake you," her mother said, gesturing for her daughter to join them. Flustered and half-awake, Katniss hesitated before forcing herself to walk toward them. Their parents' faces looked serious, but Peeta regarded her sheepishly, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Mr. Mellark and Ms. Everdeen circled the couch to stand in front of it, and when Katniss stepped in front of Peeta, she narrowed her eyes at him frantically.

"What's going on?" she hissed under her breath, but he just shrugged, his expression clueless. Stifling a sigh, Katniss plopped down on the couch when her mother indicated her to sit. Peeta sat down next to her, nervously smoothing his palms over his thighs. Katniss folded her arms over her stomach self-consciously, unable to maintain her mom's or Mr. Mellark's eye contact.

"Faren and I talked a lot about this last night," Ms. Everdeen started. "We're really disappointed that neither of you bothered to inform us of your relationship. That shows an incredible lack of respect for us."

Both Katniss and Peeta sank back into the cushions in shame, and Peeta cleared his throat. "Sorry—we thought we were being more respectful by not interfering in your relationship," he muttered.

"Well, lying isn't respectful no matter the reasoning," his father interjected sternly, but his face softened. "But we understand you two were just secretly trying to foster a relationship between us, so your indiscretion can be forgiven."

Peeta made a face, glancing at Katniss from the corner of his eye. "Was it that obvious?"

Both their parents fixed them with amused looks. "We're not oblivious," Ms. Everdeen said, a lilt to her voice. "Well, maybe we were a little blind to what was happening between you two at the same time, but I always had my suspicions. But until you two were willing to admit it to yourselves, there was no way for us to really know, I suppose."

Katniss gnawed on her bottom lip, dropping her gaze to the floor. The two adults sighed, almost simultaneously. "As Florence said, we had a long talk about this and...given the situation and the genuine feelings between you two," Mr. Mellark paused, looking to Ms. Everdeen. She nodded resolutely. "Well, the wedding's off."

Katniss' eyes went wide, and she gawked at them. Peeta's breath hitched in his throat beside her. " _What_?" she demanded, flabbergasted. Ms. Everdeen smiled slightly at her.

"Look, whatever happens between you two—well, we don't want to stand in the way. You're young, you're in love, and you care about each other greatly, anyone can see that," she said softly. "Faren and I...we've lived our lives, we've had these experiences, but you two are just getting started. And you should be able to explore that. Live and love each other, and find out for yourselves what's going to happen between you two. A marriage between us would probably ruin that, and we just can't in good conscience do that to our children."

Katniss didn't know what to say. She looked over at Peeta, but he looked ashen and guilt-ridden. "Dad," he finally croaked out. "I'm sorry—"

His father held up a hand. "Don't, son. You don't have to apologize for anything." He smiled at Ms. Everdeen, touching her arm lightly. "Florence and I can still date, and we plan to, but a marriage just isn't in the cards for us. And that's okay. I'm much more concerned with your happiness, Peeta. And Katniss'. She's already like a daughter to me. I would be lying if I said I never imagined the two of you eventually getting together and settling down."

They both blushed, Katniss unable to look at Peeta. Her heart was racing. Was this all actually happening? She wasn't sure she could process any of it. "But..." she trailed off, not sure what she wanted to say.

"Things are going to be fine, okay?" her mother, smiling reassuringly at them and squeezing Mr. Mellark's hand. "So don't worry about us. However—don't think our blessing gives you free reign to have sex all over this house. Or his, for that matter."

Katniss was absolutely mortified, but her mother continued, her voice authoritative, "I'd rather my daughter abstain until she's older, but I know that's unrealistic to expect—and we're too late, anyway—but just be careful and diligent about your...activities."

"Yes, ma'am," Peeta muttered while Katniss buried her face in her palms. Mr. Mellark cleared his throat.

"Well, we should let you two talk," he said, pulling Ms. Everdeen out of the living room into the kitchen. After a moment, Peeta released a heavy breath.

"Wow. I can't believe...and they called off the wedding and everything, too."

Finally peeking through her fingers, Katniss looked at him and shook her head. Then she groaned, dropping her hands. "Great. This is another thing Prim's gonna hate me for. She was so excited about them getting married, too."

Peeta laughed incredulously, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sure she'll get over it..." He finally twisted in his seat some to look at her. She met his gaze shyly; she felt weird after everything now. He smiled slightly. "I don't really know what to say after that. Kind of...dumbfounded, I guess. Are you okay?"

She shrugged. "I think so. I'm still processing it all, I think. I don't know what I expected..."

He looked at her doubtfully. "Do you...I mean, are you having second doubts about us?"

She blinked and then frowned at him. "Wait, how are you asking me that when before  _you_ were the one who wasn't sure anymore?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about that. Just freaked out, I guess. You know I love you, Katniss. I never didn't want to be with you." He tentatively reached across to pick up her hand and hold it in his. Then he grinned wryly at her, and she tried not to melt. "I mean, our parents just called off their wedding for us—I think we're kind of stuck together, anyway."

She scoffed at that, rolling her eyes. "Stuck with me? Please. You should be so lucky, Mellark." He just grinned wider, tugging on her hand to pull her closer. She complied but added as she leaned in, "I guess I'll keep you, though."

He raised his eyebrows as he lowered his face to hers, his mouth hovering so close to hers, his breath warmed her lips. "Well, now that you've got me, what are you going to do with me?"

Her lips flickered in the briefest of smiles before she pressed her mouth to his. Their tongues touched teasingly before she pulled back slightly. "I'd tell you, but I think our parents might be listening."

Peeta just chuckled before he crushed his mouth to hers again.


End file.
